Happily Ever After
by Suuz-5-5
Summary: ...and they lived happily ever after. A collection of Tommy x Eva one-shots about their life after the show.
1. One Shot 1

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.**

 **As the new season starts, without our favorites, I decided to write one shots. So we don't have to miss them too much. There won't be too much spoilers in it for season 3.**

 **A huge thank to cdub77, who once again kept bugging me for more and more, and my sister for checking the story.**

 _Family: where life begins and love never ends_

Sebastian took a deep breath as he placed his bag on his desk. He was longing for his own place, yet he had returned to the office once again. Files were piled up on his desk and he knew reports were waiting for him to be written. The work never seemed to end. Suppressing a yawn he turned on the computers. Programs started running, which gave Sebastian a moment to lean back. He was about to drift off when a *pling* made him look at the screen. In the right corner a notification had popped up. The name made him smile and he opened Skype. _Tommy McConnel - online_. It had been a while since he spoke to his friend. Things had changed when he left the team and Sebastian missed his buddy on the team. You simply couldn't replace Tommy McConnel. He and Tommy tried to call each other each week. In the beginning it had been easy doing, but as time went on it had become harder and harder. Either Tommy was busy or Sebastian was. Usually Sebastian, being on a case abroad or something like that.

He pressed on the video call and waited for Tommy to answer. It didn't take long before Tommy's face filled the screen. There was a big smile on his face. ' _Sebastian! How have you been?_ '

'Busy, as usual,' Sebastian answered. 'It was a long day...long weeks. This case was a tough one. We just came back to the Netherlands after being in Spain for two weeks. There didn't seem to come an end to this one...but it did and now the paperwork is left...'

' _And the team? How are things going?_ '

'Well, the same as before. Never became the team like it used to be in our days. Arabela is thinking about leaving as well and the new guys seem to stick together. Still the old against the new. Strand tries to keep everyone in check and Constante still tries to go behind her back...so nothing changed much.' Sebastian took a deep breath. It was different and nothing like it had been in the beginning. At the moment they were a team, but just a team at work. There were no more drinks after work or discussing much more than the plans for the weekend. This team was work and when the workday was over, they were nothing together.

' _Didn't you see Erik last weekend?_ ' Tommy asked.

'I did!' Sebastian replied and the thought of his son put a smile on his face. 'He's getting really big now...and smart. Unbelievably smart... It's hard to keep up with him from time to time. He loves building robots and reads entire books about them...' Tommy started to laugh.

' _Kathrin must love that: even more technology in the house_.'

'Oh she doesn't even try to keep up anymore,' Sebastian laughed. 'But how have you been doing? Everything going alright at your end?' Tommy smiled and he turned his head.

' _Eva, can you come in?_ ' Then he turned back to the screen. ' _Soon you can see for yourself_.' From the right side of the screen Eva's face appeared over Tommy's shoulder. Tommy pushed himself some more out of the frame and Sebastian could see Eva fully. He could see her big six-months-pregnant belly and the little blond toddler in her arms. She smiled at him and gave him a little wave. The toddler seemed to realize that something was going on at the computer screen.

' _Seb Seb!_ ' the little boy exclaimed enthusiastically and he reached for the screen, struggling against his mother's arms. Tommy quickly relieved Eva of the struggling boy and pulled a chair out for her.

'Hello Aiden,' Sebastian greeted the boy once the McConnel family was seated. 'And hey Eva, you're looking great.'

' _Don't lie, Sebastian_ ,' Eva told him with a smile and she rubbed her belly. ' _I look six months pregnant and we all know how that looks. Nothing too glorious about a big belly, swollen ankles and peeing all the time._ '

' _You're still the most beautiful,_ ' Tommy said softly to her and he kissed her.

' _Yuck!_ ' Aiden said and he covered his eyes with his chubby little hands.

'Yes, Aiden, yuck,' Sebastian laughed and he covered his eyes playfully along with the little boy.

' _Oh don't you start_ ,' Tommy said. ' _We don't want another cha-ching situation._ ' Sebastian smiled. Last time he had visited them, he had taught Aiden to say 'cha-ching' and the little boy had used it for months, for everything. It had driven Eva and Tommy crazy.

 _'Cha-ching!_ ' Aiden shouted and he started to giggle.

' _Okay, it's clearly time for someone to get to bed_ ,' Eva said and she reached for Aiden. ' _Before uncle Seb Seb teaches him more bad stuff. Say 'Bye bye' to uncle Seb Seb, Aiden_.' Aiden waved his little hand and Sebastian mimicked the gesture. He watched Eva carrying Aiden out of the room and he turned to Tommy.

'You have a great family, Tommy.'

' _I know...I'm a lucky man_.'

* * *

Tommy closed the door to the study and headed to their bedroom. When he glanced into the room, he saw Eva and Aiden sitting on their big bed. Eva was reading one of the Italian bedtime stories to Aiden. He recognized the story as one of their son's favorites. The words sounded so familiar that he could recite them along with Eva.

'Daidí!' Aiden exclaimed and he pushed himself up. He waggled over towards the edge, reaching for his father. Tommy engulfed him in his arms before the boy got to close to the edge.

'Hello handsome boy,' Tommy said and he kissed him on the cheek. Aiden started to giggle, before struggling and trying to get back in the bed.

'Libro, daidí,' he said, pointing at Eva. Tommy smiled at their son mixing up his languages.

'You want me to sit with you while mamma reads?' Tommy asked and Aiden nodded. 'Well, let's get into that bed then.' Tommy jumped onto the bed and moved up to the headboard. Aiden got out of his arms and snuggled against his mother's side. Eva put her arm around the boy and made sure he could see the pictures of the book before continuing to read to him. Tommy lay on his side listening to Eva's calm voice and loved to see how their little boy was completely engulfed in the story. Eva looked at him and smiled. Then she kissed Aiden on the top of his head.

'Continuare, mamma!' Aiden said, not wanting any kisses but the rest of the story.

'Patience, son,' Tommy laughed and he stroked Aiden's back. Eva stroked their son's cheek while she continued the story about brave knights in a dangerous world and Tommy continued watching his wife and son. Story time was the family's favorite time. When they lay in the big bed, reading stories to Aiden, they were happy.

* * *

One more look, Eva told herself and she glanced into the darkened room. The light from the corridor hit his beautiful face precisely and she could see him sleeping peacefully. Exhausted from the day filled with playing and reading. Their little boy had an easy life. One more look and Eva was sure Aiden was doing okay. She closed the door and walked towards the living room, while rubbing her belly. Their unborn baby had decided it was time for attention and was kicking firmly. Tommy was already in the living room, gathering all the toys and stuffed animals that were spread through the entire room.

'I think our son has too much toys,' Tommy noted when he saw Eva standing in the doorway, watching him. 'Is he down?'

'Far far away in Dreamland,' Eva answered. 'Probably riding horses and saving princesses.' Tommy threw the last stuffed animal in a basket and sat down on the couch. He reached out for her and pulled her towards the couch. Eva sat down as well and Tommy put his hands on her belly, as he loved to do when they had put Aiden to down for the night.

'Wow she's active,' he smiled. Eva put her hand over his and rubbed it. Tommy was convinced this baby was going to be a girl. They would have one of each. Therefore he refused to say 'it'. It was always 'she'. The fact that he had been right with Aiden made him only more sure of his case. He knew these things.

'Keep your hand right there,' Eva told him when the kicking ceased. 'Baby wants to feel her daidí and mamma wants a kick-free evening.' She leaned into Tommy's chest and he kissed her on the cheek.

'Mamma will get a kick-free evening when baby is born,' he smiled. 'Not a moment later. She's not slowing down anytime soon.' Eva took a deep breath, enjoying the calmness in her uterus with Tommy's hand in the right spot. She thought back at that evening, when Sebastian had video called them. Their friend had looked very tired and she remembered being tired as well. Even when it had been years since she had been with the ICC team. It was strange to believe it had already been three years since they had left the team. It felt as such a different life.

'Do you ever miss the job?' she asked Tommy and she felt him sigh.

'I miss the team,' he answered. 'But not the job. And it isn't the same now. With the Major gone, Hickman in New York, Strand playing boss and Constante playing boss as well...no I don't miss the job. Besides, if we had stayed, we wouldn't have this.' He gestured around him and patted her belly. 'We wouldn't have gotten married , there wouldn't be a little boy sleeping meters away, and there wouldn't be a baby on her way. We wouldn't have been a family. And this family is the best thing that ever happened to me.' Eva looked at him, a smile on her face, and she kissed him.

'Gráim thú,´ she whispered at him.

'Ti amo,' he whispered and he kissed her back.

 **The End**

 **I hope you enjoyed the first of many one-shots!**

 **If you have suggestions or prompts, you can send them in if you want. I can't promise anything or that it will be posted right away, but I will definitely take a look at them and see if inspiration hits ^^**


	2. One Shot 2

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the favorites, alerts and reviews! If you have suggestions or prompts (or whatever they are called), send them in ^^**

 **Big thanks to my two betas: cdub77 and daimee!**

~ _  
I don't need a hero_

 _I have a brother_

'Then what did the principal say about why we had to come?' Tommy asked as he and Eva got out of the car at the parking area at the kids' school. Eva shook her head.

'Just that Aiden was in the principal's office and that they would like for at least one of us to come speak with the principal,' she answered. 'It did sound rather serious.' Tommy grabbed her hand and gave her a squeeze. He was sure it would be alright. Aiden was a good kid. They walked into the now empty school and headed to the principal's office.

'Signore and signora McConnel?' the receptionist asked and Eva and Tommy both nodded. 'Principal Da Sangallo is already expecting you. If you just walk through the door, you will walk right towards his office. Aiden is also waiting inside.' Eva glanced at Tommy, who gave her a reassuring smile. How much trouble could a ten-year-old be in? They followed the receptionist's directions and they saw Aiden sitting on the bench in front of the principal's office. When he looked up, they saw a couple of scratches on his face.

'What happened?' Eva asked in shock and she sat down next to Aiden, going into full mother mode, and checked him for any more injuries. Aiden waved his mom's hands away and shrugged.

'Signore and signora McConnel, good that both of you could make it,' Principal Da Sangallo said as he walked out of his office and shook both their hands. 'If you could follow me into my office, we will discuss what happened with the young boy.'

'Can't you just tell us now what happened?' Tommy asked, getting a bit annoyed. 'We were called to school, without an explanation, and we find our son with scratches. What happened?'

'Aiden got off lucky,' Principal Da Sangallo said and he keep a stern look at the boy. 'The other boy has a black eye.' Eva gasped in shock. 'Why don't we go into my office so we can discuss this further.' Eva ignored the man and turned to Aiden.

'You fought with a boy?' she asked him. Tommy placed his hand on her shoulder and nodded towards the office. They could get the answers inside. Eva got up and Aiden as well, after a push against his shoulder by his father. The four of them walked inside and took a seat.

'After school one of the teacher was called by a student because two students were fighting in the school yard,' the principal started to explain. 'When she arrived, she saw Aiden punching Benji Poric in the face.'

'You punched a boy in the face?!' Eva asked her son in shock. 'Why would you do that? You know you're not allowed to fight, Aiden!' Aiden crossed his arms and frowned at the principal.

'Benji was bothering Bobby, so I punched him in the face,' he explained. 'But I first told him to back off. It's his problem that he decided not to back off.'

'You could have seriously injured Benji,' the principal said to Aiden. 'Do you understand that? Do you understand why it was wrong?'

'No,' Aiden answered firmly. 'You got to help the ones who can't help themselves and punish the ones who do wrong.'

'Aiden, as a child you should have gotten a teacher to solve the problem,' Eva told him.

'I'm not a tattletale!' Aiden said and Eva turned to Tommy with her eyebrows raised. Tommy held his hands up but couldn't help but smile.

'Getting a teacher when another student is being teased, isn't being a tattletale, Aiden,' Principal Da Sangallo said. 'It's actually being a good student and will help the school to be a safe place, for all students attending.' Aiden shrugged.

'The teachers always say to try solving it ourselves first, so I did,' he answered. Principal Da Sangallo sighed.

'Still you should not fight,' Eva said.

'But dah said...' Aiden started.

'Dah says fighting another student is wrong,' Tommy interrupted quickly. Aiden frowned angrily at his father, but didn't say anything else.

'So what's going to happen now?' Eva asked.

'Aiden will go to detention for the next two weeks and he will have to apologize to Benji for punching him,' Principal Da Sangallo answered. 'And I hope you will have a conversation about fighting at school.' Eva and Tommy nodded. 'Then I think we're done for now.' All the adults rose and shook each others' hands. 'Thank you for coming.'

'Of course,' Eva said and she placed her arm around Aiden's shoulder. 'Come on, Aiden, let's go home. Bobby and Norah will be waiting for you.' But Aiden didn't move.

'What about Benji?' he asked the principal instead. 'What is his punishment?'

'Benji is currently at the nurse,' principal Da Sangallo answered.

'So he gets away for bullying my brother because he got punched?' Aiden asked.

'Aiden!' Tommy said firmly and he grabbed Aiden's arm. 'That's enough!'

'That is something I will discuss with Benji himself,' principle Da Sangallo answered. 'Not with you, Aiden.' He stood up to shake Eva's and Tommy's hand. 'Grazie for coming in, signore and signora McConnel.'

'No problem at all,' Eva replied. 'Thank you for calling us.'

* * *

'I'm not going to apologize to Benji,' Aiden said firmly once the three of them were back in the car on the way home. 'I should actually punch him again.' Eva looked over her shoulder at Aiden.

'You can't punch other children, Aiden,' she told him again.

'But dah said I have to look out for Bobby and Norah, being their big brother!' Aiden contradicted. 'Why am I being punished for a good thing and Benji gets away with bullying! Non è giusto, mamma!'

'I know it doesn't seem fair, Aiden,' Eva sighed. 'But dad probably didn't mean you should punch a kid, right dad?' Tommy stayed silent and Eva hit him in his arm, causing Aiden to smile. 'Right, dad?'

'What I meant with looking out is that...that you shouldn't...' Tommy starting, trying to find the right words. His struggle made Eva frown.

'You're proud of him for punching the kid, aren't you?' Eva asked him and Tommy smiled at her.

'I might be a little bit,' Tommy answered and Aiden started to laugh. 'It's good that Aiden looked out for his brother. But I also think it had been better if you had gotten a teacher to solve the problem. You could have seriously injured that boy. Do you understand that, Aiden?'

'I knew when to stop,' Aiden answered. 'You always say to stop when your opponent is unable to harm you or anyone else.' That earned Tommy another stern look for his wife. One that wasn't going to be solved with a smile.

'What was the first rule of Fight Club again?' Tommy asked Aiden.

'Not to talk about Fight Club?' Aiden answered unsure. 'Why?' Then he saw his mother looking at his father. 'Oh...sorry dah.'

'We'll discuss this further when we're inside,' Eva said while Tommy parked the car. Aiden jumped out of the car. Eva took his arm before he could run into their building. 'No gaming for the next week.'

'Ma, mamma...' Aiden started but Eva shook her head.

'No buts,' she said. 'I'm already going easy on you. You deserve two weeks of no gaming...but you had somewhat a good reason. Therefore only one week.'

* * *

'You have been teaching our son how to fight?' Eva asked when she walked out of Norah's room, after having read her a bedtime story. Tommy just walked out of the boys' room. He looked at her and gave her a faint smile.

'I might have,' he answered. 'A boy should know how to protect himself.' Eva stayed quiet and walked into the living room. Tommy followed her. 'My dad taught me how to fight from when I was six or something like that...'

'That is something different,' Eva told him. 'You had a very different way of growing up than our kids. They don't have to fight to get a spot. Aiden is only ten years old.' Tommy ran his hands over her arms until they reached her hands.

'I'm sorry,' he apologized and he gave her a kiss. 'I thought it would be a nice father-son thing to do.' Eva sighed.

'It might be, but ten is too soon,' she told him. 'And Aiden needs to learn to try using his words first. That kid was at the nurse's office because of our son.' A smile appeared on Tommy's face and Eva looked questioningly at him.

'Admit it, you were also a bit proud of our son,' he said and Eva shook her head. The smile that crept up her face betrayed her, however. 'Admit it, Eva: you're proud of our boy protecting his little brother.' Eva laughed.

'Alright, I am,' she said. 'A little bit. We raised him well.' Tommy leaned in and kissed her.

'We sure did.'

 **The End**


	3. One Shot 3

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^**

 _My fingers may be small but I can still wrap daddy around them_

It was quiet in the house and Tommy was enjoying it. He knew it wasn't going to last much longer. Not in a house with three kids. And sure enough, he heard little footsteps coming towards the study and a little voice yelling out for him.

'Daidí! Daidí! Come play with me!' Tommy turned around and saw his little girl waddling towards him, waving her little hands. He picked her up when she reached him and placed her on his lap, giving a kiss on top of her light brown locks.

'Daidí can't play right now, sweetheart,' he told her. 'Daidí got to work, remember? Big people work.' Norah crossed her arms and pouted. She even added some puppy eyes and Tommy felt his heart ache. His little girl knew exactly how to make him melt. Just like her mother.

'Please, daidí?' she begged him with her big green eyes and she leaned a little against his shoulder. 'I'm bored. There is nothing to do!' Tommy looked at his daughter. The house was filled with toys. There was more than plenty to do for his little girl. And he had these reports to fill out and they were already taking forever without Norah begging him to play. They just had to be finished, and preferably today. Tommy sighed and lifted Norah off his lap.

'Not now, sweetie,' he told her. 'Maybe later. Daidí really has to work now. Otherwise the big boss will get angry and I will lose my job. I won't be able to buy things, like new toys.'

'But I don't need new toys, daidí!' Norah replied and she grabbed his hand, pulling it a little. 'So we can play!' Tommy shook his head. 'I wanna play with you! I want it more than ice cream! More than...than...than...everything!' Tommy smiled at his daughter's persistence. Then he caught eye of his half-filled report.

'No, Norah,' he told her, a little more firmly this time. 'Daidí won't play with you now. You will have to wait for mamma and your brothers to come home. How about you watch some TV for now?' Eva and Tommy were strict about the kids' TV time, so the kids were always happy when they got some extra TV time. Although it didn't seem to work with Norah this time. She sat down in the middle of the room, with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Tommy shrugged and turned to the screen. He had no problem with her sitting there, as long as he could work.

* * *

'Daidí?' Norah asked and she stood next to his chair, trying to look onto the screen. 'Do you need my help? I'm a good helper! Mamma says so.' Tommy smiled and pulled her back on his lap. He hugged her.

'That is very sweet of you, Norah,' he told her, 'but daidí got to do this himself.' Her hands moved towards the keyboard, but Tommy grabbed them in time. 'No, Norah, no typing today.' Last time one of the kids had tried to 'help' Tommy with filling out a report, he had to start all over again. He wasn't planning on having that happen today. 'You can sit on daidí's lap, but then you have to sit still and let daidí work.' Norah nodded and she leaned into his chest. Tommy placed a kiss on top of her head and continued working on his report. Norah started to suck her thumb while Tommy quietly worked. It went surprisingly well. It took only another half an hour for Tommy to finished and after he clicked on save several times and sent it away, he pushed Norah up a little bit more. She looked at him with sleepy eyes.

'Daidí done?' she asked him and she became more alert.

'Daidí is,' he answered. 'So what do you want to play, Norah? Do you wanna draw?' Norah shook her head. 'Play a game?' Norah shook her head again. 'Then what do you want to do?' Norah slid off his lap and dragged Tommy towards her room. There she handed him a pink tiara with fluffy feathers on the sides.

'You're a principessa now, daidí!' Norah exclaimed enthusiastically. 'Just like me!' She held up her own tiara and placed it on her head. 'Like this, daidí!' Tommy sighed and with a smile he placed the tiara on top of his head. The things he did for his daughter.

'So what do I have to do, now that I'm a princess?' he asked. 'Should I...give orders?'

'No, daidí!' Norah giggled.

'Should I...run around the house!'

'No, daidí! You need to have a tea party!' She pointed at her little table that was all set. Tommy sat down on one of the chairs, praying he wouldn't break it. It was definitely not an adult chair. Norah handed him one of the tea cups and 'poured' in the tea.

'Ooh, this is very nice, Norah,' Tommy said after he took a sip. 'What kind of tea is it?'

'Pasta tea,' Norah said as she continued to pour tea in the rest of the cups.

* * *

'Boys! Wait up!' Eva shouted at Aiden and Bobby, who were already running towards the building. 'You can carry your own stuff.' She held their bags up and they came running for them. Eva locked the door and they went inside. She was relieved to be finally home. The boys both had to get new clothes and this time they had to come along to do some fitting. Of course they were boys and didn't like it at all. At least with the promise of ice cream afterwards, she could make it work. Aiden and Bobby were already standing impatiently at the door when Eva reached it and they stormed inside once Eva opened the door.

'We're home!' Eva yelled out as she walked inside. She placed the grocery bags on the kitchen counters. 'Boys, put your new clothes in your room!' Eva went looking for Tommy and Norah, who were strangely quiet. When she walked into Norah's room, Eva started to laugh.

'Mamma!' Norah exclaimed happily and she ran to her mother. 'Doesn't daidí look pretty? He's a princess, mamma.'

'Yes, daidí looks so very pretty,' Eva laughed as she continued to look at Tommy, who was sitting on a tiny chair at Norah's small table. He was wearing a pink fluffy tiara and drinking from a tiny tea cup. Tommy looked at Eva and smiled. Eva took out her phone and snapped a picture.

'Ah, come on, Eva,' Tommy said. 'You better do nothing with that picture! I was just entertaining our daughter until you got home!'

'Daidí made friends with Orso!' Norah said and she pointed at the teddy bear opposite of Tommy, which was wearing a pink dress. 'They are best friends now!' Eva laughed and stroked her daughter's hair.

'Sounds like you had a good day with daidí.'

Norah nodded firmly. 'Daidí is the best at tea party! We're going to play again tomorrow! Are you coming to the tea party as well, mamma?'

'I wouldn't want to miss it, principessa,' Eva answered. 'Maybe you should see if Aiden and Bobby want to come to the tea party as well!' Norah's eyes became huge, as if it was the best thing she ever heard in her life and she ran out of the room. Eva walked towards Tommy.

'So how was your day, my sweet principessa?' she joked and gave him a kiss.

 **The End.**


	4. One Shot 4

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^**

 _Labor is the only blind date where you know you will meet the love of your life_

'Do you need a foot rub, sweetheart?' Tommy asked as he walked over to Eva, who was already lying in bed. She was tired from her day carrying their baby around in her belly. Tommy laid down beside her and put his hand on his belly. Eva placed her hand over his and smiled at him.

'Your child is being active today,' she told him and she rubbed her belly. Tommy leaned in closer until his mouth almost touched her belly.

'Hey, you little one in there, could you calm down a bit,' he said to it. 'Mommy and daddy want to go to sleep soon. So be a nice baby and stay calm. Go to sleep as well.' When he looked up, Eva was smiling at him.

'You're going to be an amazing dad,' she said to him and Tommy smiled as well. He hoped so. From the first moment Eva told him she was pregnant, he had been worried. A baby is a lot of responsibility and he wanted to do good for this little human they created. He wanted to give his child the best life he or she could possibly have. But his own childhood got him worried. His father had been an okay dad at times, but a really bad one at times as well. Tommy had no family to offer this child. It was just him, and he sure hoped it was enough for their kid. A stroke of Eva's hand pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked at her.

'You're going to be great, Tommy,' she assured him. 'You have been taking such good care of me, and therefore of this little baby. You will be fine.'

'And luckily I have you,' Tommy replied and he kissed her. He starting stroking her belly once again, hoping it would calm the baby down. Even though he couldn't feel the baby kicking right now. A strong kick against his hand, from their baby, was the best thing Tommy had experienced. It was like proof that there was a tiny human in there, waiting to come out. They were waiting for him or her to come out so they could finally meet him or her. Tommy was sure their baby was perfectly happy inside Eva's belly. Nice, warm and safe from everything on the outside.

'Should I put on some music?' Tommy asked. Music had helped before when the baby was active and Eva wanted to sleep. Eva shook her head.

'It's not too bad,' she said. 'Let's go to sleep. If it doesn't work, I can grab the music.' Tommy nodded and put his arms around Eva.

'Ti amo,' he said and he gave her a goodnight kiss.

'Gráim thú,' Eva replied.

* * *

'Tommy,' Eva said when she nudged him. 'Tommy, you have to wake up!' It hadn't been their baby being active over the night. It had been something else. 'Tommy, wake up!' Slowly he finally seemed to wake up. He blinked a few times before realizing Eva was sitting up straight in their bed, holding her belly.

'What's wrong?' he asked worriedly. 'Is the baby okay?' He pushed himself up. As he did, he pulled his hand back from the matress. In shock he stared at his hand. 'Why is the bed wet...' His eyes went big as he looked at Eva, who started to laugh.

'My water just broke,' she told him, laughing. Tommy just stared at her. 'Tommy, we should go to the hospital.'

'Oh, yes!' Tommy said, waking up from the shock, and he rushed out of the bed. Frantically he searched for the clothes. 'Where is the bag? And the keys? Oh my god, I don't know where I put the keys...how are we getting to the hospital?!' Eva couldn't stop laughing, until another contraction hit her. Tommy rushed to her side. 'Are you okay?'

'Just another contraction,' she told him. 'Now help me out of the bed.' Tommy held her arms, offering support, and helped Eva out of the bed.

'You need new clothes,' he said when he saw the wet stain on her pajamas.

'Yes,' Eva agreed and she pointed at the closet. 'Grab my jogging trousers. They will do fine until we get to the hospital. We also might need a towel for the car seat.' Tommy nodded and walked out of the room. 'Tommy! I need the trousers first!' He came back in running.

'I'm sorry!' he told her and he kissed the top of her head. He gave her the trousers, before heading out of the room again. Eva put the trousers on, pausing for a contraction, and then waddled out of the room where she found Tommy running around their living room.

'I can't find the car keys!' he told her. 'Nor the baby bag...we had a baby bag prepared, right? Cause we were told to have one and I can't...'

'Tommy, we have it in the car,' Eva interrupting, trying her best to keep herself from laughing. He had done much better on their trail labor run. That time he had been collected and it went smoothly. But now...now he was running around like a crazy man. 'And the car keys are on the kitchen counter.' Tommy turned his head to the counter and smiled like a fool.

'Oh, right,' he said and he grabbed them, almost dropping them.

'Are you sure you can drive?' Eva asked him worried. 'I'm sure signore Bellucci wouldn't mind driving us to the hospital...' Tommy shook his head firmly.

'This is my child that is about to be born, so I will drive us to the hospital,' he said. 'I can do this. I have the car keys, the bag is already in the car and I have you.' He walked over to her and supported her on the way out.

* * *

Tommy winced as he witnessed Eva having another contraction. They were getting more severe and quicker after each other. Which made sense since it was labor...but it still amazed him. Eva was so amazing through the whole experience. Barely giving any sign of pain. Tommy was sure she was a superwoman.

'Have you called the team?' Eva asked him after the contraction passed.

'Not yet,' he answered. 'Should I do it now?' Eva nodded.

'I think they would want to know.'

'And the baby won't be born in the time I'm making the calls?' Tommy was determined not the miss the birth of his first child. The team could wait if that meant he could be there. Eva shook her head smiling.

'Not there yet,' she assured him. Tommy gave her a kiss before heading out of her room. When he was outside, he noticed his hands were shaking. Nerves were racing through his body. It was actually happening today. Today he would become a daddy. The realization made him smile. Then he focused on the task of calling the team. A quick glance on the clock told him Sebastian would be at work with Arabela, so that way he could hit two birds with one stone. The phone barely ran two times before Sebastian answered.

' _Is it happening?_ '

'Yes, Eva went into labor. Our baby is on the way.' Tommy could hear Sebastian calling out for Arabela and he couldn't help but laugh. Soon Arabela's voice came in as well.

' _Is the baby born yet?_ '

'No not yet. We're not there yet...but the contractions are coming in quick and seem very painful.'

' _How is Eva doing_?' Sebastian asked.

'She's a real trooper. Taking the pain without a complain...like she has done this before.'

' _And how are you doing, daddy-to-be?_ ' Arabela asked laughing.

'I'm a complete mess. I did so well during the trail run...but with the real thing...my mind just stopped working. All I could think was 'Our baby is coming'. There was no more logic. And of course Eva was the savior, being very calm. Because her we were able to get to the hospital.' Sebastian and Arabela were both laughing and Tommy couldn't help but laugh along. It all felt pretty stupid now they were actually in the hospital. Eva and the baby were in the capable hands of the doctors and nurses. In the background Tommy could hear Strand's voice and soon she was in on the call as well.

' _Congratulations, McConnel!_ '

'Thank you, Ma'am.'

' _We have to go, Tommy_ ,' Sebastian said. ' _Wish Eva the best from us and keep us updated!_ '

' _Call us when the baby is born!_ ' Arabela added. ' _And send us pictures_!'

'I will, guys,' Tommy promised. 'Stay safe out there.'

* * *

'Okay, the moment is here: it's time to push,' the doctor told Eva and she looked up at Tommy right away. He squeezed her hand with a huge smile on his face.

'Deep breath, Eva,' the doctor told. 'One deep breath, hold it and start pushing.' Eva took the deep breath and started to push with all her strength. With her hand she was squeezing Tommy's hand, along with the push. 'Very good, Eva! Keep going...keep going.' Eva kept going until ten long seconds passed and the doctor told her to release. When she glanced at Tommy, he looked both worriedly and excitedly at her.

'Another deep breath,' the doctor said and Eva did so, 'and another push.' She gritted her teeth and started to push once again. She had not imagined delivery being this exhausting. People had told her it was tough, but never that it would be this exhausting. She fell back once the ten seconds pushing were over. Tommy dabbed her forehead.

'You're doing amazing, bella,' he told her. 'Just amazing...just a little while longer and you can hold our baby.' He placed a kiss on top of her head, but Eva wanted nothing more than wave him away. She loved him, but she couldn't have him kissing her right now. She was sweaty and in the middle of delivering a baby.

'One more deep breath,' the doctor said again and Eva took the deep breath, 'and another big push... Push...push...keep going, Eva!' Eva gritted her teeth to keep herself from screaming out. She wasn't going to scream, no matter how badly she wanted to. When she fell back, Tommy gave her hand a small squeeze. Eva was surprised he could still feel his hand.

'You're doing great, baby,' he said beaming. 'The baby is almost here...you're so close!' Eva closed her eyes for a moment. She didn't know how long she could keep doing this. It was so exhausting. She just wanted the baby to come out alright so she could hold him or her.

'This will be the last one,' the doctor said, as Eva braced herself for another push. Eva looked up at Tommy, who had a big grin all over his face. He gave her hand a little squeeze.

'Almost time to meet our baby boy or girl,' he said excitedly. All Eva could do was nod. She needed all the energy for this one last push.

'One big push, and your baby will be here,' the doctor said and Eva took the last deep breath and gave the push all of her strength. Suddenly the urge to push was gone and Eva fell back on the pillow. She glanced at Tommy, who was staring down below with admiration in his eyes. Not soon after cries filled the room.

'Congratulations, it's a beautiful healthy baby boy,' the doctor beamed and she held a little pink crying baby up so Eva could see. Eva began to cry the moment she saw her little boy. He was just perfect. Tommy kissed the top of her head when their boy was laid on her chest. As she looked up, Tommy had tears in his eyes as well. This was their first child. Their little boy, and he was perfect. Eva gently stroked his little head with soft baby hairs and their baby boy replied by opening his mouth and stretching his little hand. The tears kept rolling over Eva's cheeks. He was so perfect.

'Welcome to the family, Aiden McConnel,' Tommy whispered at their son and he kissed Eva.

 **The End.**


	5. One Shot 5

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.** **Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites!** **If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^**

 _~  
_ _A parent's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them  
~_

All evening it had been raining and the wind was blowing strongly. Eva and Tommy were sleeping in their bed, snuggled up to each other during this Autumn storm. But a shift in the mattress woke them both up. Tommy sleepily looked at the alarm on the nightstand and saw it was fourteen minutes past four. Eva turned on the light and they could both see their daughter sitting at the edge of the bed, holding her stuffed dog tightly in her hand. Her eyes were red and tears were glistening in them.

'What are you doing, Principessa?' Tommy asked her. She should be in a deep sleep right now, dreaming about castles, princes and princesses. Norah crawled over to them and snuggled up between her parents. She pointed up as her lip began to tremble. Tommy stroked her head. A bright flash lit the room for a short second and not long after a loud bang followed. Norah screamed and pressed herself against Eva. Eva put her arms securely around their little girl and kissed the top of her head.

'It is just a thunderstorm, sweetie,' she assured the girl. 'It should be over soon.'

'But it's loud and scary!' Norah said. Eva sighed and gently pushed Norah down before lying down herself. She stroked her hair.

'You can stay in bed with mamma and daidí,' she said to Norah, 'but you will have to go to sleep. The loud thunder won't hurt you. You're safe here with mamma and daidí.' Norah nodded slowly and closed her eyes.

Eva glanced over at Tommy, who smiled at her. The thunder _was_ loud and scary. He could understand their little girl being scared and wanting to be in the big bed. One night wouldn't hurt. He carefully leaned over Norah to give Eva a goodnight kiss and then he placed a kiss on Norah's forehead. A faint smile appeared on her face. He took a deep breath and lay down as well, longing for some sleep.

It didn't take long for Tommy to get the first hand in his face. As Norah hardly ever slept in their bed, Tommy hadn't realized what an active sleeper she was. He rubbed the spot her hand had hit and looked at Eva, who was rubbing her arm. She raised her eyebrows. They glanced down at their daughter who seemed fast asleep and they smiled. They could deal with one night of being hit and kicked. As long as their little girl felt safe.

* * *

Just when Eva and Tommy were about to fall fast asleep, the door opened and a stream of light hit their faces. They frowned. The door was closed and the room was dark once again. Eva reached again for the light on her nightstand and turned it on. Bobby was standing at the door, looking hesitant and scared. Tommy sighed and gestured his son to come over. Bobby didn't need to be asked twice and he ran towards his parents' bed. Tommy gently pulled Norah closer to him, hoping she wouldn't wake up. However, she stayed fast asleep and he wondered how the thunder had ever woken her up in the first place.

'Come in,' Eva whispered and she pulled a part of the sheets away. Bobby climbed over her onto the middle of the bed. As soon as she lay back down, Bobby snuggled up against her. She looked at her little boy. 'The thunder as well?' Bobby nodded.

'It's loud and scary, mamma,' he said. 'It woke me up with the loud bang. I know I should be a big boy now that I'm nine...but it was _really_ scary!' Eva smiled and stroked his head. Bobby really wanted to be a big boy. It was all he had been saying since he turned nine two months ago.

'Even big boys have to sleep in the big bed sometimes,' she told him.

'I agree that the thunder is very scary,' Tommy said. 'It was a good choice coming here. Even when you're a big boy. I'm a big boy and still sleep in the big bed _every_ night.' Bobby started to smile. 'But, now it's time to go to sleep.' Bobby nodded again and laid his head on the bed, closing his eyes. Eva and Tommy looked at each other, as they were both holding one of their children in their arms to keep them safe from the loud and scary thunder.

* * *

Eva and Tommy didn't even get the chance to fall back asleep before the door opened once again. Tommy glanced at Eva with a smile on his face. She turned the light on and Aiden was standing at the edge of the bed.

'What are you doing here, Aiden?' Tommy asked. He wondered what Aiden would say. Would he tell the truth or come up with a lie? Aiden had been the one who put the idea of needing to be a big boy into Bobby's mind.

'I woke up and Bobby wasn't in his bed,' he said and Tommy started to smile at his son's cover. 'I just wanted to know where he...' A flash lighted the room and there was a loud bang. Aiden's eyes widened in shock and he ran to the bed, jumping into his mother's arms.

'It's okay,' she assured him and she kissed him on his head. 'It's just some thunder.'

'Can I stay here?' Aiden whispered. Eva nodded. Tommy had already moved Norah closer to him. Eva gently pulled Bobby closer to her, so there was some space for Aiden as well.

'Just be careful of your brother and sister,' she told him, 'and go to sleep.' Aiden nodded and he closed his eyes. Tommy stroked his hair and both he and Eva tried to go back to sleep.

'Don't tell anyone it was the thunder, okay?' Aiden whispered when he was on the edge of falling asleep. Eva and Tommy smiled as they heard their oldest son's plea. Their bed was filled with their three kids; neither Eva nor Tommy had really space to sleep. But they didn't mind. Their kids felt safe and that was the most important to them. Besides, tomorrow all kids had play dates so Eva and Tommy could catch up on sleep then.

 **The End.**

 **I hope everyone is well and safe after all the events in the world!**


	6. One Shot 6

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^ Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites!**

 **Thanks to Elaine (cdub77) for the idea of this one-shot**

 _His little hands stole my heart and his little feet ran away with it_

Up and down...

Up and down...

Up and down...

The breathing went slow and steady. It was simple and regular. And to Tommy it was the most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed. The breathing of their newborn son was something he could watch for the rest of his life. It was something he wanted to watch for the rest of his life. Aiden looked so calm and peaceful. Oblivious to the eyes resting on him. Only two weeks in Tommy life and he already meant everything. He already was Tommy's world. That feeling scared Tommy. He was responsible for this tiny human. He had to make sure he would grow up to be healthy, strong and happy. All his cries had to be soothed and all his laughter encouraged.

Up and down...

Up and down...

Up and down...

This tiny human in front of him would need him for the rest of his life. To eat and to drink. To walk. To ride a bike. To write and to read. To survive this sometimes cruel world. All of those responsibilities caused fear and worries for Tommy. Was he able to be the dad his son would need throughout his life? It wasn't like Tommy had the best example. His father had had his good moments, but mainly he had been a crappy father. He didn't want to be like his father...but what if he was? What if he was going to screw up this precious tiny human?

Up and down...

Up and down...

Up and down...

Tommy stepped closer to his son's crib and stroked his tiny hand. Even in his sleep, Aiden wrapped his hand around Tommy's finger. His grip was tight. It caused Tommy to smile. Even within his sleep, his son was reaching out for him. His little boy would need him.

Up and down...

Up and down...

Up and down...

And as Aiden was holding his finger tightly, Tommy realized he needed his little boy. He had only been in his life for two weeks, but the love Tommy was feeling for this tiny human was overwhelming. He wanted to be the right father for his son. One Aiden could look up to. He wanted to give his son the love Tommy was missing.

Up and down...

Up and down...

Up and down...

'You're the most beautiful and sweet boy in the whole world,' Tommy whispered softly at his sleeping son. 'Daidí loves you so much. More than anything. I need to you know that, cause I'm going to mess things up. I will try my best but I think I will. There will be times you hate me, because I will have to be your parent instead of your friend. Maybe I will disappoint you. But I will always try to be the best father you could need. There is no one I love more than our family. I want to give you all that you need. I want to protect you. And I will love you unconditionally. I promise you that, mo mhac.' Tommy placed a gentle kiss on his son's forehead.

Up and down...

Up and down...

Up and down...

With a lighter heart Tommy closed the door to Aiden's bedroom and took a deep breath. His worries hadn't disappeared. Neither had his fears. But he knew that it was a part of becoming a father. The worries and fears would never leave, but neither would the love he was feeling for that tiny human. Aiden had captured his heart and Tommy would try his best to deserve that love.

He walked into their bedroom and saw Eva standing in front of the bed with a faint smile on her face. She closed the distance between them and kissed him gently on his lips.

'Gráim thú,' she whispered at him and kissed him again. She took his hand and guided him to the bed. As they laid down on the bed, Tommy's eyes caught the bright green light of the baby monitor.

 **The End**


	7. One Shot 7

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^ Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites!**

 **Elaine, may this new one shot give you some good vibes to finish that new fanfic idea of yours!**

 _What's in a name?_

There was no spring in his step. His feet were dragging over the floor. That was the first thing Eva noticed. The other two ran inside, showing her all their drawings and papers they were allowed to take with them, blind to their brother's sadness. His bag was dropped near the table and he dragged himself to his room. Eva gave the right amount of 'oh's and 'ah's before heading towards his room, to give him the attention he seemed to need.

'How was school, Aiden?' she asked innocently. Aiden shrugged barely noticeably and Eva knew for sure that something had happened. She sat down on the bed and placed her hand on his back, rubbing up and down. 'What happened, mio figlio?' Aiden mumbled something and Eva leaned closer, asking for her son to repeat what he said.

'They said I'm a criminal.'

Eva frowned. 'What do you mean? Why would they say that?' Aiden shrugged and she stroked his hair. 'You can tell me...' Aiden turned his head so he was facing her.

'We were talking about family names...and how our last names can be different from our mother's last names...' Eva took a breath. The pieces were falling together, though she hoped that that wasn't the case this time. But Aiden's demeanor said enough. 'And we started to talk about our mother's last names...their maiden names?' Eva nodded and Aiden took a deep breath before continuing. 'Well I told them your last name is Vittoria and...and then...'

'Then they said you were a criminal?' Eva continued for him and Aiden nodded.

'A criminal like mio nonno,' he said. 'Why would they say that, mamma?' Eva sighed. It had been something she and Tommy had discussed several times: when was it time to tell their children about their families? About the crimes they had committed? They had feared the children would ask soon, as the Vittoria crime family had been in the news not long ago. Something about new evidence and more crimes the family could be linked with. The name 'Vittoria' had been on the news all week. It seemed like now was the time to explain to Aiden.

'Do you remember when daidí and I told you about family?' Eva asked. 'About how our family isn't made by blood but by friendship?' Aiden nodded. 'But you also know that daidí and I have our own families? Our own parents?' Aiden nodded again. 'Well, you have never met them or really seen them, because they aren't good people. They did bad things and we didn't want you or your brother and sister having to deal with them or their reputation.'

'But what did nonno do?' Aiden asked. Eva sighed. How was she supposed to explain her eleven-year-old son the crimes of her father?

'Nonno did a lot of bad things,' she answered, keeping it vague. 'That is why he is in prison right now and he won't be getting out. He did really bad things.'

'Did he kill people?' Aiden asked. 'Gino and Boris said nonno killed a lot of people.' Eva stroked her son's head again.

'Yes, he did,' Eva answered. 'But that doesn't make you bad. Nor me, Bobby or Norah. He made the bad choices and is being punished for it. And if your classmates tell you again that you are a criminal, ignore it or tell your teacher. Your nonno's choices don't affect you.' Aiden nodded. Eva stroked his cheek. 'And never forget that if something is bothering you, you can always talk to me or daidí. We will always try to explain you everything.' There were loud noises from outside the room that grabbed Eva's attention. 'Do you have any more questions about this?' Aiden shook his head and Eva kissed the top of his head before towards the door. When she reached it, Aiden's voice made her stop.

'Did you arrest nonno, mamma?' Eva took a deep breath, trying to suppress the memories that arose with the question.

'Daidí and the team arrested him,' she answered.

'But you helped, right?' Eva turned her face towards the door and she rested her forehead against the door.

'Yeah, I did,' she answered.

'Well, that makes you a hero, right?' A smile crept up her face and she faced him again. There was a little smile on his face as well. She nodded. 'So when Gino and Boris tell me I'm a criminal again, I can tell them I'm not. Because you're a hero!'

'Sounds like a good plan,' Eva said and she reached her hand out to him. 'Are you coming along, my hero?' Aiden rolled over to the other side of the bed and took her hand. Eva pressed him against her side and kissed his cheek.

 **The End**


	8. One Shot 8

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^**

 **Merry Christmas, ev** **eryone! Or to those not celebrating Christmas: have a great day!**

 _She's more than a dog_

 _She's our family_

Hurried footsteps rushed past their bedroom. Eva smiled and turned to Tommy, who was still asleep. She went over to him and placed soft kisses on his shoulder and on his neck. A smile appeared on his face before he opened his eyes.

'Good morning,' he smiled as he stretched.

'Do you know which day it is?' Eva asked him. Tommy wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss.

'Merry Christmas,' he said.

'Merry Christmas,' Eva replied, giving him a kiss before hitting him softly on his chest. 'We have to get up before the kids destroy the living room.' Christmas morning was always an exciting moment for the kids. And this year it was a little bit different. Eva and Tommy were sure that the kids would be surprised by their presents. Eva handed Tommy his Christmas sweater and put on her own. Tommy stepped towards her and gave her another kiss, enjoying the only quiet moment they would have on this Christmas morning.

'Okay, let's head out there,' he then said as he took her hand. In the living room the boys were play fighting with each other around the Christmas tree and Eva rushed over to make sure they didn't hurt each other or bump into the tree. Tommy walked over to Norah and gave her a hug.

'Did Santa come last night?' he asked her and Norah nodded enthusiastically. She pointed at the presents underneath the tree.

'Look, daidí, so many presents!' she exclaimed. 'Can I please open one?' Tommy pretended to think for a moment and he looked over at Eva, who had gotten the boys to sit down.

'What do you think, mamma?' he asked her. 'Should Norah open her presents? Or should we put all the presents in the closet and forget about them?'

'NO!' Norah yelled out in shock. Aiden and Bobby began to snicker. They were too old to still believe in their father's tricks, but their six-year-old sister fell for it each year.

'Don't worry, Norah,' Aiden started, 'daidí won't get the chance. Bobby and I will hold him down while you open the presents.' He made a fake move towards Tommy and Norah began to smile. Tommy stroked his girl over her hair and gave her a kiss on top of her head.

'Go and give everyone their first present,' he told her.

* * *

There was wrapping paper all over the living room and the presents had been carefully placed on the couch, so Eva could snap some pictures of the catch. Norah posed proudly beside her presents. All the kids seemed content with their presents.

'Kids, there is still something left underneath the tree,' Eva noted and she pointed at the envelope. All three rushed at it at once and it was Aiden who held the envelope up. Curiously he opened it and unfolded the letter open.

' _Dear McConnel children, for the next present an adventure is needed_ ,' he read out loud. ' _Give the note taped to this letter to your parents and see where it will take you. Love, Santa_.' He looked at his parents with his eyebrows raised. Norah started to jump up and down.

'A Christmas adventure!' she cheered and then she turned to Tommy with puppy eyes. 'Can we go now, daidí? Can we go on adventure?'

'Wait, what about breakfast?' Eva asked. 'Aren't you guys hungry from all the unwrapping?' The kids shook their heads right away. The letter from Santa had gotten them curious. 'Okay, then let's head to the car.' The kids rushed to the door and Eva and Tommy followed behind. On the way Eva quickly grabbed a bag from the fridge.

'Let's see what chaos Santa is sending us into,' she said to Tommy with a smile.

'Where are we, mamma?' Norah asked as she looked out of the window. The building didn't look familiar at all.

'Can you read what it says above the door?' Eva asked. Norah shook her head. The words were too long for her to understand yet. 'Ask one of your brothers to help.' Norah turned to Bobby, who leaned over to look out of the window as well.

'Rifugio per animali?' Bobby read. 'Why are we at an animal shelter, mamma?' Realization set into all three kids.

'Are we getting a pet?!' Aiden asked enthusiastically.

'A dog?' Bobby asked. 'Like we asked?'

'I guess we did,' Tommy replied and he parked the car. Before they could get out, Tommy and Eva turned to the kids.

'It will be busy and loud in there,' Eva told them, 'so I want you all to stay close to daidí and me. We will go inside and look at the dogs.'

'And hopefully we can find a nice dog to take home with us,' Tommy added.

* * *

Earlier that month, Eva and Tommy had gone to the animal shelter together in search of a suitable puppy to be added to their family. The puppy was even old enough to come home with them right away.

Tommy put his hand on Eva's back. 'I'm going to find someone who can help us,' he said to her and Eva nodded. The children didn't seem to notice their father walk away as they were looking their eyes wide open. There were so many dogs. How were they ever going to pick one? Norah wriggled herself from her mother's grip and ran to the first cage she saw.

'Oh mamma, guardare il cucciolo!' Norah exclaimed ecstatically and she kneeled down at one of the cages, looking at a small white puppy. The little dog was going crazy at the sight of the little human and Norah couldn't stop smiling. Eva kneeled down next to her, who immediately turned to her. 'Can we get this one?' Eva stroked her daughter's back.

'No, sweetie, Santa has picked out another dog for us,' she laughed. 'We just have to wait for daidí to come with someone who will help us. But we can look at the other dogs, if you want to.' Norah nodded and got up, ready to go to the next cage. Eva turned to Aiden and Bobby. 'Do you boys want to look around as well?' Aiden and Bobby nodded and the four of them started walking past the cages.

'Oh, look at this one!' Aiden said and he stopped in front of a dog that looked like a German Shepherd. 'It's so cool!'

'Oh another puppy!' Norah enthusiastically exclaimed and she looked at the German Shepherd mix as well. 'Can we get this one?' Eva shook her head and looked over her shoulder to see if Tommy had found an employee yet.

'What about this one, mamma?' Bobby asked, pointing at the cage next to it where a dark brown dog was lying calmly in the back of the cage.

'Santa already found a puppy for you guys,' Eva said. 'We just have to wait for daidí to come back and we can see the puppy.'

'Where is daidí?' Norah asked, looking around in search of her father, and was about to take off to find him when Eva grabbed her hand.

'He will come soon,' she answered hopefully.

'Signora McConnell?' a man asked as he walked towards Eva and the children. Tommy was walking behind him. Eva nodded and the man shook her hand. 'I'm Gino and I'm sorry for the long wait. There were a couple of things I had to take care of.' He looked at the children. 'And who are these bambini?'

'Santa gave us a puppy for Christmas!' Norah told Gino.

'Did he really?' Gino replied. 'Aren't you a lucky girl. And what is your name, principessa?'

'Norah,' she replied and she pointed at her brothers. 'And they are Aiden and Bobby, my big fratteli.'

'Well, Norah, what about I take you to see your Christmas puppy?' Gino asked and he held out his hand. Norah nodded and grabbed his hand right away. 'If you follow me, you will meet your new family member.' Eva gave the boys a little push in their back so they would start walking and she stepped towards Tommy.

'It took you long enough,' she smiled at him. 'Norah had almost adopted all the dogs.' Tommy put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer, and he gave her a quick kiss.

'Gino wanted to put our puppy in a room where the kids could meet her,' he explained. 'And wanted to give her some time to explore it, before we, or rather the kids, came running in.'

'Mamma! Daidí!' Norah yelled out. 'Hurry up! Santa's puppy is waiting for us!'

'You hear her orders: hurry up,' Tommy said smiling and he took Eva's hand as they walked towards the meeting room. When they arrived, Gino was just explaining to the children how to behave around the new puppy. Norah was almost jumping up and down with anticipation, so Tommy lifted her up before they could go inside, in the hope she wouldn't scare the puppy in her enthusiasm. The boys seemed to be better at containing themselves, but Tommy could see their excitement as well.

'Are you all ready?' Gino nodded as he opened the door. Inside a little brown puppy was sniffing around and its head went up when they walked into the room.

'Daidí,' Norah whispered in amazement and she tried to wiggle herself from his hold. He put her down, but kept her next to him.

'Let her come to you guys,' Gino told them, 'and remember to be careful. We people are very big and scary for this little puppy.'

'What is her name?' Bobby asked as he crouched down, holding his hand out in the hope the puppy would come to him.

'We were thinking about naming her Marly,' Eva answered. 'Are you guys okay with that name?' The children all nodded. Marly slowly moved towards them and started to sniff at her new family.

* * *

When the family got home, Tommy pulled out the dog bed and all the stuff Marly would need while living with them. Eva had to force the children to sit at the table for their lunch, as they only wanted to play with Marly. But they already ate their breakfast in the car instead of at the table, so she really wanted them to at least eat the lunch at the table. It also gave Marly a moment to look around a bit by herself. After lunch the children could play with Marly all they wanted. Now evening had come and it was already way past their bedtime.

'Come on, guys,' Eva called out from the boys' bedroom. 'It's already very late.' She walked out to find the children around Marly. They seemed to be in an argument and Norah was close to crying.

'She sleeps in our room!' Aiden said firmly.

'No! I want her in my room!' Norah shouted and she stumped her feet. 'I want her!'

'Okay, kids,' Tommy said, stepping between them. 'Marly is going to sleep in the living room, in her own dog bed. Not in any of your rooms. Marly should have her own sleeping place.'

'No!' Norah whined. 'I want her in my bed!' Eva chuckled.

'Sweetie, dogs can't sleep in humans' beds,' she tried to explain. 'They have their own beds, which they like way better.'

'Marly also needs some alone time,' Tommy added. 'To go sniffing and getting familiar with the house. It's all new for her and probably a bit scary.'

'That is why she should sleep in our room!' Bobby reasoned. 'She likes us so it won't be too scary!' Norah started to protest right away.

'Okay, guys, Marly is sleeping in the living room and you three in your own rooms,' Eva said firmly. 'And that's final.' The boys crossed their arms in anger and Norah started to cry. Tommy lifted her up.

'Don't cry, Principessa,' he told her and stroked her head. 'You can play with Marly in the morning. All three of you can. But first you have to go to bed.' He wiped away Norah's tears and Norah rested her head on his shoulder. Tommy rubbed her back and walked towards her room.

'Come on, boys, time for bed,' she told them. 'You heard daidí: tomorrow morning you can play with Marly again.' Aiden and Bobby sighed and walked to their room.

* * *

Hurried footsteps rushed past their room. Eva smiled and turned to Tommy, who had a big grin on his face as well. This was to be expected. Tommy pulled her a little closer and gave her a kiss.

'Good morning,' he greeted.

'Good morning,' she smiled. 'They're up early, aren't they?' Tommy turned over to look at his alarm.

'I think they're even earlier than yesterday,' he noted. 'Should we get up and see how the kids are doing? How little Marly is handling our three kids?' Eva hesitated and rested her head on his chest. He gently stroked her bare arms.

'We could wait a little longer,' she answered. It was probably the only quiet moment they would get on this day. Tommy smiled and gave her a kiss. Then they heard shouting and a crash.

'Okay, that is our sign to get out of bed,' Tommy said. Both quickly walked to the kitchen and found Marly happily eating off the floor which was covered in dog food. The three children were watching and looked up with guilty face when they saw their parents.

'We just wanted to give Marly some breakfast,' Aiden admitted.

'He did it!' Bobby and Norah exclaimed at the same time.

 **The End**


	9. One Shot 9

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^**

 _~  
We all pray for a snow day_

Morning was in full motion at the McConnel household. All three kids were downstairs eating their breakfast, Eva was packing their lunches and Tommy was getting ready for work. The TV was on the news channel, so Eva and Tommy could know something of what was going on in the world.

' _During the night snow camedown_ ,' the newscaster announced. ' _With the low temperatures during the day, it's expected that the snow will stay during the day. We would like to warn our viewers: it's slippery outside._ ' Eva glanced at Tommy. He was supposed to be outside for the day. Hopefully it wasn't too cold. She put the kids' lunches in their bags and headed to the table.

'Andiamo,' she said. 'We're leaving for school in fifteen minutes. Be ready.' Aiden quickly stuffed the last spoon of cornflakes in his mouth and chewed loudly on them.

'Mamma, can I go to Zosia after school?' Norah asked, holding her phone in her hands. 'We have a project to do for history, which needs to be finished next week. Her mom is okay with it.'

'Have you finished your breakfast?' Eva asked and Norah nodded. 'And as long as Zosia's mom is okay with it, I'm okay with it as well. Ask your father to pick you up after work.'

'I can get home myself!' Norah argued.

'Norah, you're twelve,' Eva said. 'You are not taking public transport by yourself. Your father will pick you up or you don't go!' Norah sighed. 'Now do you have all your stuff?' Norah nodded, but walked to her room either way. Suddenly the phone started to ring.

'I will answer it!' Bobby called out and he hurried over. Not long after answering he walked to Eva and handed her the phone. 'It's school.'

'I haven't done anything!' Aiden called out. Eva looked at him in surpris at him while she answered the phone. It was one of the teachers to call in that the school was closed for the day because of the snow that had fallen last night. Eva turned to her two boys who were starting to argue over who had the last banana and she sighed. Tommy walked out of the bathroom with a smile on his face and he gave Eva a kiss on her cheek.

'What's wrong?' he asked when he saw her face.

'The school is closed,' Eva answered and Tommy looked shocked as well. 'The kids have a snow day...'

'SNOW DAY!' Aiden and Bobby cheered.

* * *

Tommy had left for work not long after the school's call, leaving Eva on her own with the kids. All three of them were excited about their day off. Eva on the other hand was less than pleased. She had had her whole day planned out: some chores in the morning and in the afternoon she would be able to go to the hair dresser and maybe some shopping. Now she would have to stay at home.

'Mamma, I can still go to Zosia, right?' Norah asked her mother worriedly. 'We have to finish this project and Zosia won't stop bugging me about it. You can drop me off, right?'

'Can I go to Thomas then?' Aiden asked. 'They are going to build a hill in the garden, where we can sled or roll off! His dad will be there so it will totally be safe! If you drop Norah off, you can drop me off as well!' Eva put her hands up.

'Guys, I have to do other stuff first,' she said. 'Like the laundry and groceries.' Norah and Aiden both groaned.

'Mamma! Soon the snow will be gone!' Aiden argued. 'Then it will be too late to have fun on the hill!'

'Can't you have fun in the house?' Eva asked hopefully. 'Or out in the garden?'

'It's cold outside,' Norah replied. 'I'm not going out there!'

'You could also help me with the chores,' Eva suggested. 'I'm pretty sure both your rooms could use a cleaning. And when you're done there, the rest of the house could use one as well.' Norah and Aiden quickly shook their heads.

'We'll wait till your done,' Norah said. 'I can do some prep work for the project in my room.'

'I'm sure the hill will survive the whole day,' Aiden said and the both of them headed to their room. Bobby walked up to his mother.

'I can help,' he offered. Eva stroked him over his head.

'That's very sweet of you,' she told him, 'but go have some fun instead. It's your day off.'

'But I want to help,' Bobby insisted. 'I can take Marly for a walk...' The dog's head popped up when she heard her name. Eva nodded with a smile and Bobby walked over to the dog, stroking her head. Eva turned and looked at the mess that was left on the table from breakfast.

* * *

The house was rather silent when Tommy entered it. Not what he had expected with the snow day. Bobby was reading a book on the couch in the living room with Marly at his feet.

'Hey, buddy, what are you reading?' Tommy asked his son.

'Just a book for school,' Bobby answered, showing Tommy the cover. 'It's not as bad as I expected.' Tommy smiled and looked around the living room. 'If you're looking for mamma, she went to lie down for a moment...' Bobby looked on his watch, '...which was about an hour ago. Apparently it's tiring to have three teenagers at home on a snow day.' Tommy chuckled. He could imagine that. He stroked Bobby's head before heading to the bedroom. Inside it was dark and Tommy could make out a figure lying in the bed. He slowly walked to the bed and gently lay down beside Eva. He stroked her shoulder before placing a kiss on it. Eva groaned as she turned around.

'Ciao, bella,' Tommy greeted her smiling. Eva started to smile as well and she gave him a kiss.

'I missed you,' she mumbled sleeply.

'So I heard,' Tommy replied and he slipped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. 'Did you have a long day?' She nodded against his chest.

'Aiden and Norah are staying over at Thomas's and Zosia's for the night,' she mumbled. 'Now we don't have to go outside in the snow anymore.'

'Is this an invitation to stay in bed for the rest of the day?' Tommy joked and Eva laughed. She looked at him and Tommy stroked her cheek. 'Because I wouldn't mind.'

'What about Bobby?' Eva asked.

'He's a wise and grown up boy,' Tommy answered. 'I'm sure he can take care of himself.' He leaned over to kiss her but Eva hit him playfully on his chest.

'We should take care of him,' she told him. 'He's been a great help today.'

'Of course he was: he takes after you. Kind...' Tommy gave her a kiss. 'Caring...' Another kiss. 'Able to take care of hims...' Tommy was interrupted by a knock on the door. Eva called out and Bobby's popped in.

'Are you going to make dinner, mamma?' he asked, 'or should I?'

'No, I'll make dinner in a minute,' Eva answered and Bobby's head disappeared again. Eva turned to Tommy with a smile. 'See, I will always have to take care of our children.'

'Well he offered to make it himself...' Tommy said.

'I remember one Mother Day's breakfast that didn't work out quite that well...' Tommy

started to laughing, remembering that Sunday all too well. He gave Eva another kiss and then he got off the bed.

'Andiamo, mamma, time to make some dinner,' he joked, taking Eva's hand and pulling her along.

 **The End**

 **This one-shot was inspired by my very own snow days from internship ^^ It's cold over here and people are ice skating in the street as most roads are covered by a layer of ice.**


	10. One Shot 10

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites! If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^**

 _My only desire is to live by your side.  
My only hope is to stay there beside you,  
watching you smile at me,  
arm in arm _

Eva snuggled up a little bit closer against her husband's warm body. He was gently stroking her back. Together they were enjoying their lazy Sunday morning. Just the two of them. There was silence in the house; the kids still asleep. Even Marley seemed to give them their peace this morning. Tommy gave Eva a kiss.

'Happy anniversary, wife,' he whispered at her and Eva returned his kiss. When she looked at him, she smiled. On this day they were married for twenty years and they were nothing less than twenty wonderful years. She felt blessed with a husband like Tommy.

'Happy anniversary, husband,' she replied. Tommy took a deep breath before settling his eyes on her again.

'I haven't even for one day regretted saying "I do" to you,' he said to her. 'Never regretted one day I spent with you. To twenty more amazing years, at least.' Eva kissed him.

'"I do" were the best two words I ever said to you. I want to stay beside you for the rest of my life. I love you so much, Tommy.'

'I love you too...so what about the plan of lying in bed all day?' There was a twinkle in his eyes. 'Just the two of us in this bed the entire day. Those kids can fend for themselves. They're smart enough, together.' Eva laughed and stroked his chest. There was nothing she would rather do than lie in bed with him all day. They hadn't done that in a long time. There was always something that dragged them out of their bed.

'Sounds perfect to me,' she smiled and she closed her eyes again. Tommy kept gently stroking her back, slowly lulling her back to sleep. He had always been the best pillow she had ever had. In his arms she slept best. There she knew she was safe and loved.

An hour later Tommy and Eva woke up from the rather loud whispers behind their bedroom door. Eva looked at Tommy, who raised his eyebrows. Silently they lay in their bed, waiting to see what would happen. After some more whispering there was a knock on the door.

'Enter?' Tommy called out and the door opened, revealing Bobby, who was holding a tray with what looked like scrambled eggs, toast and coffee. He walked inside and he was followed by Norah and ,to Tommy's and Eva's surprise, Aiden.

'Happy anniversary!' the kids said in unison as Bobby placed the tray on the bed. Both Tommy and Eva looked at their children, stunned and Marley who had walked into the bedroom as well.

'Did you all make this?' Tommy asked in amazement and the kids nodded. A smile crept on his face. 'Well then I think I'm skipping breakfast.' But he took the coffee anyway. It smelled really good. Also the fire alarm hadn't gone off, so he assumed the kids had done their very best on this breakfast.

'We even cleaned the kitchen,' Norah said, with a smile. 'All the mess is gone by now.'

'It's amazing,' Eva said. 'Thank you!' Then she held her arms out and gestured the kids to come. She hugged the three of them tightly and gave them each a kiss on their cheeks. 'We're very lucky with the three of you.' When she let them go, she looked at Aiden. 'But you, when did you get here?' Aiden started to laugh.

'I think I arrived around one o'clock last night,' he explained. 'Bobby snuck me inside and I slept in our room. We were very lucky that you two are heavy sleepers, otherwise the element of surprise would have been gone.'

'But you were busy with exams,' Tommy noted. 'You said you weren't coming home for the next couple of weeks. Too much work to do at school...what happened with that?'

'Sometimes you got to be allowed to lie,' Aiden smiled. 'And luckily you can read books everywhere. Not just at university.'

'Now eat your breakfast,' Bobby said with a smile. 'You don't want the result of our hard work to go cold.' Eva nodded and she took a bit of the scrambled eggs, ignoring the little piece of shell that was inside her bite.

 **The End**


	11. One-shot 11

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^**

 **Based on a prompt from cdub77, but with a little twist. I hope you still like it, Elaine!**

 _~  
The best times are always found when family and friends gather around_

'Okay, is everyone ready?' Tommy asked. 'It's about to begin!' Norah came into the room, holding her phone in her hand, and she sat down on the couch. Tommy raised his eyebrow at her.

'I gotta stay in contact with Zosia!' she explained and she showed the screen to him. 'We have to talk to each other! Besides, you're doing the same with uncle Sebastian and aunt Arabela.' She gave a wave at the laptop screen, which showed Sebastian and Arabela on Skype. Tommy put his hands up.

'Fine,' he replied, 'but you're not going to spend all your time on that phone.' Norah nodded with a smile and right away she turned her attention back to her phone. Tommy looked beside him, where Marly was lying on her pillow, and he raised an eyebrow at the dog.

'They will never change, will they?' he asked softly when he stroked Marly's head.

'Can someone make room?' Bobby asked as he walked in, holding two bowls with several snacks. Tommy moved some of the stuff already on the table out of the way and Bobby smiled. 'Thanks, dah.'

'Where is your mother?' Tommy asked him. 'And your brother?' Bobby shrugged and Tommy turned around. 'Eva! Aiden! It's beginning!' Eva hurried into the room, holding even more food in her hands.

'Sorry it took so long,' she apologized, 'but I had to find enough knives.' Then she noticed the laptop and she waved at it. 'Hey, Sebastian and Arabela. Great that you could be here as well.'

' _Oh, we wouldn't want to miss it for the world,_ ' Arabela replied.  
' _And we got lucky, 'cause we can use the big screen at ICC_ ,' Sebastian added with a smile. Aiden joined them as well and they all found their spot in front of the TV and Tommy turned the volume up.

' _Welcome to the Eurovision Song Contest, live from Austria_!' the host announced. The annual viewing party with the McConnels, Berger and Seeger had begun.

* * *

'Come on, you guys have to admit that Ireland has the best song!' Tommy said as he pointed at the screen. The Irish performer was singing his heart out. 'His song has the most quality to it. He can sing!' Aiden nodded along with his dad.

'Finally Ireland sent someone good to Eurovision,' he said. 'We could actually win this year!'

'No way,' Norah retorted. 'Italy is clearly the winner! There is heart in the song, everyone is singing along and he is definitely not bad to look at.'

'And how great would it be to have Eurovision here next year?' Bobby added. 'Maybe we could even go to the show next year!'

' _Guys, it's Germany who's going to win_ ,' Sebastian said confidently. ' _At least we're_ _singing_ _in English, so everyone can understand what's being sung. She's a great performer and he isn't bad looking either_.'

'That's true,' Norah admitted. 'It's a tie between Italy and Germany with the cute guys. Though Zosia also likes the Norwegian guys.'

' _Definitely,'_ Arabela said. ' _They can truly sing, dance and know how to perform. They should be the ones to win!_ ' Arabela had been the only one who could not support her own country, as the Netherlands had not qualified for the finals, once again. The McConnels and Sebastian had tried to win her over for their countries, but in the end she had chosen Norway as her favorite this year.

' _And the winner of this year's Eurovision Song Contest is..._ ' the host slowly said and she took a deep breath. ' _...SWEDEN!_ ' The crowd on the TV went crazy, but it stayed silent in the McConnels' living room. Everyone was looking in shock at the TV. During the counting of the votes it had become clear that Sweden was getting a lot, but Italy had a good shot at first place.

'I don't understand,' Eva said, breaking the silence. 'Italy has been named as favorite for weeks. How did Sweden manage to sneak in and steal first place?'

'They weren't even that good!' Tommy said. 'What was their song even about?'

' _There aren't even that many Swedish people in Europe_ ,' Arabela said.

' _And also not that many Scandinavian people_ ,' Sebastian added. ' _But perhaps they all voted...for Sweden with their meaningless little pop song_.'

'Ireland was even better than Sweden!' Bobby noted, earning a glare from Tommy and Aiden.

'It's rigged,' Aiden said, 'Sweden always wins! I say we don't watch it next year!'

'Yeah, boycotting Eurovision Song Contest!' Bobby agreed and Aiden gave him a high five. But everyone in the room (or via internet connection) knew they would be right here next year for the annual view party, once again. Like every year.

 **The End**


	12. One-shot 12

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites! If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^**

 **Inspired by the song You and I by John Legend.**

 _You and I (Nobody in the World)_

Tommy looked at the tiny girl in his arms. His perfect little girl. She was only four days old but Tommy already felt so much love for her, as if she had always been in his life. She fitted so perfectly in it. He loved this little moment with the newborn. The boys were with Eva in the living room, watching a movie. The boys had clearly missed their mamma, as they had paid no attention to their new sister since she had arrived home. All they wanted was their mamma. Tommy didn't mind being forgotten by his sons. It gave him time to spend with his little girl. Soon it was all back to normal again, just with another child, and the boys would demand his attention once again. Right now Tommy was very happy with this division.

Norah waved her arms around and Tommy gave her his finger to suck on. Contently she sucked on his finger while looking up at him with her big blue eyes. He wondered what he looked like in her eyes. Whether she realized that that big head in front of her face was her daidí. Gently he rocked her until she struggled to keep her eyes open. He loved seeing his children like that. It was the most precious moment, the most real moment: the moment his children were about to fall asleep. If it was up to Tommy he would watch all three of them until they fell asleep. So they knew he was right there if they needed him.

'You're going to cause so much trouble,' Tommy whispered at his little girl. 'Boys are going to lining up for you. But remember that your brothers and I will take care of them. You're my one and only girl. I never want to leave your side. You're beautiful. Such a perfect little girl. I already love you so much. I will promise you the exact same thing I promised your brothers: I will always protect you and love you unconditionally. There is noody in the world who would make me fail that promise. I will always try to be the very best father for you. I will be there when you need me. I promise you that, mo iníon.' Tommy leaned forward to gently kiss Norah on the top of her head. It scared him to death to have a daughter. He knew how to deal with sons. He had learned that over the last couple of years, but a daughter? A girl was a whole other story. It was already clear he was never going to be able to resist her. Sebastian and Arabela had both said it and Tommy started to realize they were going to be right. Those bright blue eyes were already killing him.

 **The end.**

 **It's short but sweet (I hope). I will post another one-shot soon(ish), I promise!**


	13. One-shot 13

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^ Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites!**

 _A lifetime isn't long enough to love you_

It felt like chaos surrounded her and filled her head. Her hands were shaking and when Eva looked at them, she felt sick. They were covered in his blood, Tommy's blood. It had been a bad call from the start. They all had suspected it, but still they went in. The order came from the top and they simply had to follow. All this, for just some stupid weapons. Both Tommy and Sebastian had gone down after they were shot at by the gang members. After Eva had seen them go down, everything became a blur. All she could focus on was them, on him.

'Eva, come sit down before you wear yourself out pacing around,' Arabela said softly while she gave her arm a gentle pull. 'Pacing won't help anyone.' Eva sat down in one of the chair, but as soon as she saw the blood on her hands, she stood up again.

'I need to wash my hands,' she mumbled and she headed off. She could hear footsteps and when she stepped into the bathroom, Arabela helped her turn on the tap. Furiously she began to scrub her hands, filling the sink with red water. When Arabela put her hands on Eva's, Eva stopped and she broke down sobbing.

'I can't lose them,' she cried. 'I can't lose him.'

* * *

Tommy blinked a couple of times and needed a moment to realize what had happened and where he was right now. The room was much whiter and smelled much cleaner than the room he had been in before. And on his right was sitting a beautiful lady. Tommy smiled as he saw Eva sleeping in the chair, in a position that looked horrible. It took only some movement from him to wake Eva.

'Hey you,' she smiled at him and she gave him a gentle kiss. 'How are you feeling?' She stroked his cheek carefully. Tommy took her hand.

'I'm fine,' he answered her, and it wasn't even a lie. He hardly felt a thing. Those painkillers he was getting were working for sure. 'It's nothing. Are you okay? What happened?' Eva chuckled, which surprised Tommy.

'You're asking how I'm doing?' Eva asked. 'You were the one who got shot...'

'It's just the shoulder!'

'You got _shot_! And you were unconscious for almost five hours...the five longest hours I ever experienced...Strand had to drag you out of that warehouse...it was a set-up. They were expecting us and as soon as we entered they opened fire.'

'But what about the weapons? Did we get them? Why don't I remember this?' Eva looked at him in silence for a moment, which got Tommy a little worried. What more did he not remember? Did something bad happen? An image of Sebastian on the ground flashed to his mind and he sat up straight. 'How's Sebastian?' Eva placed her hand on his chest, carefully pushing him back.

'Sebastian is okay,' she assured him. 'He took a bullet to the leg, but is expected to pull through. Arabela and Hickman are with him right now.' She took his hand in hers, rubbing the back with her thumb. 'When you got shot and you were just lying there...I thought...I was going to lose you,' she whispered at him.

'Hey, I'm not going anywhere, bella,' Tommy said to her and he pulled her a little closer so he could kiss her. 'You are not getting rid of me that easily.'

* * *

'Why are you staring at me?' Eva asked confusedly when she put her phone down. 'You should be sleeping.' Tommy smiled at her for a long time and Eva gave him a questioning look. 'What is on your mind, McConnel?' Tommy pushed himself up, ignoring Eva's protests and he took a deep breath.

'Will you marry me?' The shock on Eva's face was almost unreal and Tommy had to hold himself back not to burst into laughter.

'W...what?' she stuttered and tears were filling up her eyes. Tommy took her hand.

'I love you so much,' he started. 'When I was lying on that floor...just before I hit my head...I realized that I could not die. Not before I can call you my wife. I want to marry you, start my life with you, grow old together, have babies, practice for having those babies...practice a lot...' Eva started to laugh through her tears. 'I don't have a ring because this was not how I expected to ever ask you, but I love you and I want to do everything with you by my side, because life is not worth it without you. So, Eva Vittoria, will you marry me?' Slowly Eva started to nod and Tommy began to smile.

'Yes,' she said and she leaned closer to him. 'Yes, I will marry you.' Tommy cupped her face and kissed her.

 **The End**

 **I said I would post another chapter soon ^^  
Though I didn't expect it to be this soon...but since I hurt my back and can barely move, there isn't much else I can do than write and post one-shots...**

 **I hope you all have better days than me right now ^^**


	14. One Shot 14

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites! If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^**

 **I know it's been a while. I try to keep writing, but just sometimes (okay most times) life gets in the way to do so. But then one of those 2AM inspiration moments can be very useful and can get you right back into the flow ^^**

 _Little boys are just superheroes in disguise_

Eva took a deep breath and looked around the kitchen. It was time to clean up the mess from their late lunch. She looked over the counter into the living room where Bobby was asleep in the playpen. Finally he had gone to sleep. He had been grumpy and clinging to her all day. She frowned when she saw that Aiden wasn't in the living room where she had left him after lunch.

'Aiden?' Eva called out. 'Where are you? Are you hiding?' Aiden had discovered the joy of playing hide and seek and seemed eager to play it all day. Then she heard little feet and she turned around to see Aiden running towards her. There was something blue flowing behind him. He stopped in front of her with his hands on his hips. Eva started to laugh.

'I'm a superhero, mamma!' he exclaimed proudly. 'I'm here to save you!'

'Save me?' Eva asked. 'Where is the danger?' She looked around, playing along and pretending to be scared. 'Should I hide?' Aiden started to laugh.

'No, mamma, I'm a superhero!' he said again. 'There is no danger!'

'Ooh...well then I'm very lucky with such a brave superhero,' Eva said and she stroked Aiden's head. Lately Tommy had been reading superheroes stories to Aiden, who loved them. She took the towel that Aiden had wrapped around his neck and held it up a little. 'That is a very nice cape.' Aiden nodded.

'Daidí showed me how to do it!' he said enthusiastically.

'But if there is no danger...what do you do as a superhero?' Eva asked. That made Aiden think for a moment and a frown appeared on his face. Bobby took that moment to start whimpering. Eva stroked Aiden over his head and then walked over to the playpen to pick Bobby up.

'Did you have a nice sleep, little boy?' she asked him while giving him a kiss on his cheek. Bobby grabbed her shirt firmly, not planning to let go anytime soon. Eva looked over at the messy kitchen and the vacuum cleaner and she sighed. She wouldn't get to cleaning now.

'I can help you, mamma!' Aiden exclaimed enthusiastically.

'Okay,' Eva replied with a smile. 'Do you think you can vacuum the room?' Aiden nodded firmly. 'Do you want to do it?' Aiden nodded again and ran over to the vacuum cleaner. He grabbed the hose and started to pull the machine, ready to clean. Eva walked over and stopped him.

'One moment,' she told him and she held up the electrical cord. 'We have to put it in an outlet. Otherwise it won't work.' She plugged it in. 'And press the button.' Aiden followed his mother's instructions and the vacuum cleaner turned on with a lot of noise. Aiden grabbed the hose again. Eva watched amusedly at Aiden pulling the machine around. He wasn't really vacuuming the room very properly and Eva would have to do it again, but she appreciated the thought. In addition, he looked so proud helping his mamma out. Bobby gave a small whimper, demanding his mother's attention once again.

'Okay, little boy,' she said to him. 'Time to change your diaper.'

* * *

Tommy could hear children's music coming from their house and he smiled. It sounded like Eva was having a fun day with their boys. He concentrated on balancing the pizza boxes on one hand so he could grab his keys from his pocket, which had been bad planning on his part. Before he could put his keys into the door, it was thrown open and Aiden stood in front of him, with a towel wrapped around his neck. Tommy put the pizza boxes behind his back, wanting to keep their dinner a surprise for their son.

'Hey, Aiden, looking sharp,' Tommy greeted his son with a smile and he wanted to step inside but Aiden put his little hand up. Tommy raised his eyebrows at the gesture.

'Stop!' Aiden added to the gesture.

'Okay, what's happening?' Tommy asked. Aiden squinted and stared at Tommy for a long time.

'Are you good or are you bad?' he then asked. Tommy laughed and wanted to take a step forward, but Aiden stayed in his way. 'Good or bad, daidí?'

'I'm good,' Tommy answered.

'Are you sure, daidí?' Aiden questioned and Tommy laughed. Where was this coming from? He thought what to answer for a moment about and then he pulled the boxes from behind his back. As soon as Aiden saw the pizza boxes, he began to cheer.

'Am I good, or am I good?' Tommy asked.

'Superhero good!' Aiden answered and he ran back inside, calling for Eva. Eva walked towards Tommy and gave him a kiss.

'You know, your son has been a superhero all day,' she told him. Tommy placed the pizza on the table and looked at Aiden, who was standing right beside the pizza boxes.

'Ah, that explains the towel,' he smiled.

'Even better: he helped me out with the chores in the house,' she continued. 'He vacuumed the entire room.' Tommy looked around and noticed that furniture had been pushed away from their original place. 'And cleaned the countertops in the kitchen.' By pushing all the filth into the sink. 'And even put the trash out...at the front door.' Tommy turned to the door and noticed the fallen over trash bag with the content spilling on the floor. That was definitely something he would have to clean up.

'Wow, good job, Aiden,' Tommy praised his son. 'You are a real big boy helping mamma out.' Aiden beamed. Tommy then walked over to Bobby, who was sitting on the floor playing with toys. He stroked the boy's head. 'What about you, little man? Did you help mamma as well?' Bobby babbled and then reached out to Tommy, indicating he wanted to be picked up. Tommy gathered him in his arms and carried him over to the table.

'I think that our superhero gets to pick out his very own pizza,' Eva said and Tommy nodded. Aiden smiled and climbed up a chair. Eva opened all three boxes so Aiden could see. As suspected Aiden went for the Margherita pizza.

'Okay, let's sit down and I will get some plates,' Eva said to Aiden.

'No, mamma!' Aiden said. 'I want to do it!' Before his parents could reply, he was already running to the kitchen, his blue superhero cape flowing behind him.

 **The End** **.**

 **I hope you liked this little one-shot (which I wrote quite a while back already). Have a great day!**


	15. One-shot 15

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^ Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites!**

 **Based on the song** ** _Without You_** **by Ilse DeLange.**

 _Without you_

The sun was shining through a crack of the curtains. It wasn't as bright yet and it was trying its best to get through. It hit his face and woke him up. He blinked a couple of times and then turned to his left. His empty left. He stretched his arm and stroked the empty spot. After a deep breath, he dragged himself out of the bed. On this day the curtains felt heavier as he opened them. The sight of their garden greeted him. Silence was all around him on this early morning. He put on his robe and slowly walked down, holding on tightly to the railing. It was getting harder to walk as he grew older. No smells were filling the house. No sounds. There was just silence on this early morning of Spring. She used to love this time. The blooming of flowers, the singing of birds; it all made her happier.

* * *

He sat himself down in the garden chair, looking out over the green lawn and the roses in the corner of the garden. The smell of those roses was stronger than ever on this day. She had loved and cared for them. His hands were shaking as he reached out for his cup of coffee. Just the one cup on the table. It was still something he had to get used to. That one cup of coffee, not two. His hands were getting older, struggling to make the small movements of stirring his coffee. His hands were shaking as he brought the cup to his mouth. He had to take a deep breath, struggling to keep the tears in. The empty chair opposite of him was emptier than before and he wished she was sitting here with him, enjoying that first day of Spring.

* * *

He could almost feel a hand touching his shoulder when he placed his hand on the same spot. He could hear her talking to him. Talking about the morning, the plans for today and about the roses. But she was not here. Oh how he wished she was with him. What was he supposed to do without her? They had gotten years together, just not forever. Tears found their way out and were silently rolling over his cheeks. He was alone and he felt lonely, especially on this morning. He missed her and wanted to be able to be with her, once again.

* * *

The sunlight reflected on his gold wedding ring, grabbing his attention. On his neck was the other one. Her wedding ring. Always close to his heart as she had been in his heart. He closed his eyes and listened to the Italian words coming from the radio. How many times had he taken her hands and danced with her through the house when this song came on the radio? He remembered how he held her tightly and he remembered how she smelled when she was in his arms. Her smile as he dipped her and kissed her gently. Even when their bodies grew older, he would always take her in his arms when the song came on. Now all he could do was sit and listen to the song. He no longer had someone to dance with. There was only one left of them, not two.

* * *

Slowly, as his body started to work against him, he walked into the house. He could no longer sit in the garden. The sunlight and calm Spring breeze became too much. She was all that was on his mind on this first day of Spring. The Italian songs were still playing and in his mind he was still dancing. Dancing with the one who taught him to love. The one who taught him to be. He sat down in his chair, turned away from the garden.

'Daídi?' a hand touched his shoulder and he placed his over hers. When he looked up he saw Norah with a worried look in her eyes. 'Are you okay, daidí?'

'I'm alright,' he answered softly, his mind still wandering to the dancing. 'It's just one of those days... What are you doing here?'

'I knew what today was,' she said, sitting down on the armrest and putting an arm around her father's shoulders. 'So I came by to see if you were doing okay. I know how much she loved this day...especially with this weather.' He took a deep breath and leaned back.

'Nonno!' The small voice filled the house while he could hear little footsteps running in his direction. A little girl jumped into his arms and he held her tightly, kissing her bright red hair. Her little arms were wrapped around his neck.

'Ciao, Principessa,' he greeted her and he kissed her cheek. 'How are you doing?' As the young girl started to speak enthusiastically, he watched her movements. They were like her grandmother's. Her eyes were the same: they had the same spark. This was how he managed to go on without her: their family. But one day he would be with her again and from then on it would be forever.

 **The End**


	16. One Shot 16

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^** **Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites! They make me happy!**

 _Hey little fighter,_

 _soon it will be brighter_

There were no coherent thoughts in his mind. All Tommy could do was stand, and even that he could barely do. His body was shaking. It was his wife that was in danger. It was his unborn child. Those were the things that mattered the most to him in this world. And now they could die.

He couldn't remember the drive over to the hospital. He barely remembered leaving the house. All he could think of was losing them. It filled his mind and the fear took over his body. He stood frozen in front of the closed doors Eva had been taken through. There were no words for him. He just stood there, waiting for news about his wife and child. As Tommy stood there, he wondered if this was how the end felt like.

No. This could not be the end. Tommy shook his head to banish those thoughts. Eva was strong. Their baby was strong. Both of them would make it. He just had to have some faith. Tommy turned around and walked over to the nurses' station.

'My name is Tommy McConnel,' he said in English. He didn't even think about speaking Italian. It was like he had suddenly lost all of the language. 'My pregnant wife was just brought in...or some time ago...No one has come to me to tell me what's doing on...Can you please tell me what's happening with my wife?'

'Your wife's name is McConnel as well, I assume?' the nurse asked and Tommy nodded. She typed in the name on her computer and waited as the information was loaded. It seemed to take forever for the nurse to read it and look back up to him. But once she did, he wished she hadn't: there was a hint of sadness and sympathy in her eyes. That wasn't good.

'The doctor should be coming as soon as possible to talk to you about your wife's condition,' she answered, without actually giving him any information. Tommy ran a hand over his head. What was going on with his wife and child? Why wasn't anyone telling him anything?

* * *

 _Eva gasped and it put Tommy on alert right away. He placed Aiden down on the floor, under loud protest of the two-year-old, and hurried over to Eva, who stood in the kitchen. When he reached her, he rubbed her back._

 _'It's not good...' Eva said, slightly panicked and she looked up at Tommy with tears in her eyes. She gasped again and this time Tommy noticed something red. Blood. 'It hurts, Tommy.'_

 _'Okay, I'm going to call an ambulance,' Tommy said and he grabbed his phone._

 _'What about Aiden?' Eva asked worriedly, looking at their son who was playing on the floor. Tommy turned his gaze as well._

 _'I will call signore Belluci after the ambulance,' he said. 'He will look after Aiden.' They had prepared for this situation before, although in a less stressful way and in their own car, and their neighbor had already offered to take care of Aiden when needed. Signore Belluci had gotten a key to their house for this exact reason. Tommy stroked Eva's hair while he dialed the emergency number. 'It's going to be okay.'_

* * *

The doctor's mouth was moving but the words were going everywhere. Tommy couldn't focus on them. Nothing of those words actually told him what was going on with Eva or their baby. Distress, blood, heart rate, critical... right now they were just words to Tommy. He knew they couldn't mean much good but none of them seemed to fully register. That was until the doctor spoke a word he did understand.

'C-section?' Tommy repeated in shock. 'She needs to have an emergency c-section?' The doctor nodded and Tommy felt as if his heart had stopped for a moment. That was definitely not good. 'Can I see my wife?'

'They're already on their way to the OR,' the doctor answered. 'If you follow me, I will bring you to her and you can see her briefly.' Tommy nodded and followed the doctor with his heart beating so fast it felt like it was about to jump out of his chest. They walked through so many corridors that Tommy lost all sense of direction. His mind was only on one thing and that was Eva with their baby. He was fighting against the tears by the time he saw Eva. He stroked her hair and kissed her cheek.

'Ciao, bella,' he whispered to her and wiped away a tear that was rolling over her cheek.

'I'm scared, Tommy,' she whispered and it broke Tommy's heart. He gave her another kiss.

'You're going to be okay. The baby is going to be okay. Soon we'll be a family.'

'We have to get her into the OR now,' the doctor said, while laying his hand on Tommy's arm. Tommy didn't want to leave. He wanted to be with his wife. He didn't want to let her go. It was as if with him she was safe, right in this moment.

'Aiden...' Eva mumbled and Tommy stroked her head.

'Don't worry about him,' he said. 'He is perfectly fine with signore Belluci. Just focus on getting through this. I know you're both strong enough.' His tears were threatening to fall and he gave her one last kiss. 'Ti amo.' Then he had to let her go. Once again he stood in front of closed doors. Once again he had to wait for news.

* * *

Tommy's hands were shaking when he lowered his phone. From fighting the emotions and exhaustion. It had been up to him to break the news to their friends. Sebastian and Arabela both said right away they would take the first flight. _'She's a fighter.'_ Kind words spoken by them, but words didn't help him right now. Hickman had reacted in the same way: he was coming as soon as possible. Their family was on their way. But right now it didn't offer Tommy much. Right now he was sitting by himself in the waiting room. Waiting to hear about his wife and child.

'Signore McConnel?' a nurse gently said and Tommy looked up, trying to read the woman's face. But he couldn't, so instead he slowly rose to his feet.

'Are...are...they...umm...' Tommy stumbled, unable to actually ask the question that had been on his mind the entire time.

'The doctor is still working on your wife,' the nurse answered him. 'They're about to close her up. She seem to have made it through fairly well.'

'And the baby?'

'It's a boy. They're bringing him up to NICU as we speak.' Tommy stared at the woman. A boy? Another boy? A smile crept up on his face. A baby brother for Aiden. 'I could take you to see him, if you would like.' Tommy nodded right away and before he knew it, they were walking through corridors once again. They stopped in front of a large room, filled with incubators with little babies inside. His son was inside one of them, fighting to survive.

* * *

Tommy stared at the little boy lying in front of him, surrounded by machines. He looked so sick with all the tubes and wires around him. He was small. Too small. As if he could be swallowed whole any moment. It frightened Tommy. This was not the way he wanted to see his son. He wanted his son to be safe. How could he protect him now? It was all up to this little boy lying in front of him.

'I understand it can look quite scary but everything is there to help him,' the nurse explained. 'The incubator is there to keep your son warm, as he can't regulate his body temperature himself yet. On the monitors we can keep an eye on his breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure and the oxygen level in his body.' Tommy slowly nodded, trying to comprehend all the information. But even with the new knowledge, it looked scary.

'You can hold him, if you like,' the nurse said gently and she nodded at the incubator, inviting Tommy to step closer. Tommy looked at the nurse, to make sure she meant it. He could hold his son already? 'If you could take a seat in the chair, I will bring him over to you.' Tommy sat down and the nurse lifted his son out of the incubator. He could feel his hands shaking as the nurse got closer. This was so much different than with Aiden. Tommy took a deep breath as she placed his tiny son in his arms.

'Be careful of the wires,' the nurse warned as she took a step back. Tommy looked in awe at his little boy.

'Hey, little one,' Tommy whispered as he gently stroked his son's head. 'It's your daddy. You keep fighting, okay? We're going to get through this and soon you will come home with us. I love you. Don't forget that.' He carefully touched his son's hand and the tiny fingers wrapped around Tommy's finger, holding it tightly. Tears were blurring Tommy's vision. Even though he was small, his son still looked perfect. Ten little fingers, a little mouth and a little nose. A perfect little fighter.

* * *

Eva blinked a couple of times, struggling to focus on her surroundings. She felt tired. Exhausted even. She turned her head and saw Tommy sitting in the chair next to her bed. Memories came flooding in and she reached for her belly, which was empty now. Packed with think bandages from the c-section. Their baby was no longer inside of her.

'Ciao, bella,' Tommy greeted her softly with a smile when he noticed she was awake. He came over to the bedside and kissed her forehead. 'We have another son, Eva. A beautiful little figlio.' Eva smiled and tears started to fall.

'Is he okay?' she cried and Tommy nodded.

'We got ourselves a little fighter,' he answered. 'He's in the incubator because of his temperature needs to be regulated and is surrounded by tubes, wires and machines. All to help him...and I got to hold him. He's so small yet so perfect.' Eva started to cry. Their little boy in an incubator... he should have been inside her. Warm and protected.

'Hey, don't cry,' Tommy whispered. 'He's going to be okay. The doctor and nurses all said it. He should be fine.'

'I'm sorry,' she cried and Tommy took her hand in his.

'It wasn't your fault, Eva,' he said. 'It just happened. There was nothing you, or we, did wrong for this to happen. It was just bad luck. We were lucky I was at home when it happened and we could call the ambulance. We were quick and our boy is going to be okay. He _is going to be okay_.' He wiped away her tears and gave her a kiss. 'Ti amo, mamma.'

'Gráim thú, daidí.'

* * *

Tommy felt completely exhausted once he reached their front door. He wished he could have stayed with Eva and their son at the hospital, but she had ordered him to go home. To take care of their other son. From outside he could hear Aiden cry and guilt washed over him. He and Eva had been gone for such a long time. Quickly he opened the door and walked inside.

'Buona sera, signore McConnel,' signore Belluci greeted him with a smile, while holding a squirming Aiden in his arms.

'Daidí!' Aiden cried out and he reached out for his father. Tommy quickly took him over from signore Belluci and hugged his son tightly.

'I'm here,' Tommy said, trying to sooth Aiden a little. 'You know: you're a big brother now. Mamma had the baby.' Aiden stared at Tommy with big eyes and his thumb in his mouth. Tommy smiled and stroked his head. Then he turned to signore Belluci. 'Grazie for taking care of Aiden.' Signore Belluci held his hands up while shaking his head.

'Nessun problema,' he smiled and he stroked Aiden's back. 'Aiden and I had a lot of fun today. I was just about to put him to bed when he started to cry. I think he knew you were on your way over, signore McConnel. He is a smart boy.' Tommy nodded and gave Aiden a kiss om his chummy cheek. 'How are signora McConnel and the bambino doing?' signore Belluci asked.

'Things are not going according to plan,' Tommy answered, feeling too tired to go into all the details. 'Eva is resting right now and Aiden had a little fratello. They will have to stay in the hospital a little longer.' Signore Belluci placed his hand on Tommy's arms.

'Auguroni al nuovo nato,' he congratulated him, 'and I'm sure your son will be fine. Especially if he is anything like his big brother.' Tommy nodded and he walked signore Belluci to the door.

'Time for bed, little man,' Tommy said to Aiden once the older man had left and he headed upstairs. 'Maybe tomorrow you can see mamma and your little figlio.'

* * *

'Good morning,' Tommy greeted with a big smile as he walked into to Eva's room. 'I brought someone who really wanted to see you...even talked about it all night. Eva smiled when she saw Aiden on Tommy's arm and pushed the table with her breakfast away. Tommy lifted Aiden onto the bed and the little boy immediately went to his mother's side.

'Ciao bel ragazzo,' Eva said and she placed several kisses on his face. 'Mi sei mancato.' She really missed her little boy. She missed holding him. Now that he was here, she already felt much better.

'How are you feeling this morning?' Tommy asked and he gave her a kiss.

'I'm okay,' she answered. 'The wound is pulling and a bit painful, but it's okay. Have you gone in to see him yet?' Tommy shook his head.

'Not yet,' he said. 'I thought maybe we could go together.' Eva's face lit up right away and she nodded. Of course she wanted to see their son. Tommy turned to the door. 'But first we have some other guests, who really want to see you...but only if you're up to it. They're willing to wait a little longer.' Eva looked questioningly at him. Who could be here?

'Maybe for just a short while,' she suggested. Tommy nodded and walked out of the door. Eva took the time to give Aiden another tight hug and he started to giggle.

'Are you happy to see mamma again?' Eva asked and Aiden nodded firmly. Then he pulled a toy out of his pocket and showed it to Eva, while babbling about it. She kissed the top of his head, having missed his toddler talk. Then the door opened and she was surprised by the sight of Sebastian, Arabela and Hickman, followed by Tommy. 'What are you guys doing here?'

'Tommy called us yesterday afternoon and told us your baby was in a hurry to be born,' Sebastian said. 'So of course we had to come and see the newest addition to the McConnel family.'

'When did you get here?' Eva asked in surprise.

'Sebastian and I arrived last night around eleven,' Arabela answered.

'And I arrived this morning, believe it or not,' Hickman added. 'Straight from the airport to the hospital.' Tears started to fall from Eva's eyes. Aiden touched her cheeks.

'Don't cwy, mamma,' he said and they all started to laugh.

'They are happy tears, Aiden,' Eva explained and she gave her son a kiss.

* * *

Tommy had arranged for a wheelchair so he could take both Eva and Aiden to see the newest addition to their family. Sebastian, Arabela and Hickman followed them and waited at the window, to give the family some time together.

'Are you ready?' Tommy asked Aiden, but the question was meant for Eva as well. He picked Aiden up and pushed Eva into the room. Aiden wrapped his arms around Tommy's neck a little tighter when he saw the incubators and Tommy gave him a little kiss on the cheek. There was nothing to be scared of.

'Buongiorno, signore McConnel,' the nurse from before greeted them. 'Here to show your baby boy to his mamma and big brother?'

'Yeah,' Tommy answered. 'How is he doing this morning?'

'He's doing as well as he can do,' the nurse said. 'He already seems a little stronger than yesterday.' Eva gasped a little when she saw their son lying in his incubator. He was smaller than she had imagined him and Tommy hadn't been wrong about all the wires and tubes.

'It's all there to help him,' the nurse assured her. 'I will leave you three to it. If you need me, just press the call button and I will be right over.' Tommy took a closer step to the incubator so Aiden could see his little brother.

'Look Aiden,' he said and he pointed at their son. 'That's your little brother Roberto McConnel.' Aiden placed his little hand against the top of the incubator and looked at little Bobby. He seemed in absolute awe. Tommy smiled at Eva, who had tears in her eyes. Tommy took her hand and gave it a little squeeze.

'He looks beautiful,' she said softly.

'He definitely got that from you,' Tommy replied and Eva smiled at him. Then they both turned their gaze back to the two brothers staring at each other.

* * *

In the evening Tommy had returned home with Aiden, Arabela, Sebastian and Hickman. Aiden had taken Arabela to show her all his toys, giving Tommy a moment to sit down on the couch. Sebastian handed him a beer before sitting down next to him. Tommy leaned back and took a deep breath. It was good to be sitting down.

'When was the last time you even got some real rest, Tommy?' Hickman asked and Tommy shrugged. He couldn't remember.

'Pfff...that was a long time ago,' he answered. 'Even long before Bobby's arrival. Having a pregnant wife and a two-year-old is a lot harder than I imagined it would be.' Rest wasn't something he had had during the last couple of months. 'My family needed me to be there for them. Rest is something that could come later.' Hickman gave him a skeptical look.

'You know, you can rest right now,' Sebastian said. 'You will have to fight Arabela for her to let go of Aiden and Hickman and I can make you some food.' At the mention of food Tommy's stomach began to rumble.

'I take that as a yes,' Hickman smiled and he walked over to the kitchen. 'I could make some pasta for everyone.'

'Aiden loves pasta,' Tommy noted, 'so that sounds like a plan.' Sebastian shook his head laughing.

'Once a family man, always a family man,' he joked as Tommy looked questioningly at him. Then he patted Tommy on his shoulder. 'Alright daddy, time to give the control away and relax a little. We will take care of it all.' Tommy raised his eyebrows at that statement, but leaned back nevertheless. Some relaxing actually sounded good. He hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night with Aiden wanting his mother, Sebastian and Arabela arriving, and his own worries about Eva and Bobby. Maybe he could just relax for a little while...

* * *

'Hey little man,' Tommy said to Bobby a couple of days later. He was sitting in the chair in Bobby's room. Holding Bobby was still his favorite moment of the day. It still felt so unreal that this little human was his son. How close he had come to losing him. 'Mamma is coming home today, so I need you to do your best. Be the little fighter I know you are. Then you can come home with us as well. Your big brother already put toys in your room for you to play with. Even all his favorite toys. He is looking forward to playing with you...although we probably have to wait a little longer till you're a bit bigger.' Tommy carefully stroked Bobby's cheek with his finger and soon Bobby was sucking on his finger. Tommy smiled.

'You do have to promise not to scare us so much ever again like you did on your birthday,' Tommy told Bobby. 'Because that was very scary and we love you too much already. If you promise that, I promise you I will protect you and love you unconditionally. Like I love your mamma and brother. Okay?' Bobby blinked a couple of times and Tommy leaned over to place a gentle kiss on his son's forehead. 'I promise you that, mo mhac.'

* * *

'Tommy, be careful!' Eva told him once again as he lifted Bobby out of the car. Today was the day they had been waiting for since the day Bobby was born. Today Bobby was coming home. Eva had to stand at the sideline watching Tommy as she was not allowed to carry anything because of her wound. And seeing Tommy with the baby carrier made her a little nervous.

'Eva, I have done this before, remember?' Tommy said, slightly irritated by his wife's constant comments and warnings.

'Yes, that was two years ago,' she replied. 'Maybe you forgot...' Tommy turned around, holding the carrier in his hands. Bobby was still firmly asleep. He couldn't help himself: he gave her a little smirk.

'Let's get inside,' he said while nodding towards the door. 'I bet that the others are waiting for us to arrive.' Sebastian, Arabela and Hickman had all stayed to help them out. They had cooked them dinners and had taken care of Aiden. Tommy and Eva were relieved that they could have the time to focus on Bobby and be with him at the hospital without having to worry about whether Aiden was okay. Aiden was always happy to see his uncles and aunt and was probably having the best time of his life, not understanding the situation fully. Aiden did rush over as soon as Tommy and Eva stepped inside.

'I wanna see!' he exclaimed and he grabbed the edge of the carrier. Eva pulled his hand away before he could pull on it.

'Careful,' she warned him. 'Bobby is still a little baby. You have to be gentle with him.' Aiden began to pout and Eva smiled. 'Okay, go sit on the couch. Then mamma will come there with Bobby and you can see him.' Aiden immediately ran off.

'Bobby is lucky with such a good big brother,' Hickman noted and Tommy nodded, looking down at his sleeping son. That he was.

'Mamma!' Aiden yelled from over the couch, impatient about seeing his little brother. Eva laughed and carefully lifted Bobby out of the carrier before heading over to the couch. As soon as she sat down, Aiden crawled up to her side and carefully patted Bobby's little head.

'Piccolo,' he said in awe.

'Yeah, Bobby is still very small,' Eva smiled. 'Just like you when he was a baby. Soon he will be bigger and you can play with him. Now we still have to be very careful with Bobby.' Aiden nodded with a serious face. He leaned down and gave Bobby a kiss on his head before giggling.

'Good boy,' Tommy praised him and he looked at the three of them on the couch. Now he could rest. His family was whole again.

 **The End**

 **I apologize for the long gaps between the one-shots. I'm just struggling a bit writing them. I miss this show :( Also real life is getting in my way too much for writing at the moment. There are one-shots almost done, though not ready yet for posting. I hope you guys can stay patient and wait for the next one. I will do my best ^^**


	17. One Shot 17

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^**

 _Set the world on fire_

'Volunteering?' Tommy repeated, surprised, and Norah nodded. That was definitely not what Tommy expected to hear when Norah had come to him and Eva, stating she wanted to ask them something. He'd expected her to ask once again about going on holiday with just her friends. Or for money for said holiday. But she wanted to go volunteer? 'What about college?'

'I want to take a gap year,' Norah answered like it was nothing. 'During which I want to volunteer.'

'But Africa?' Tommy asked. Norah nodded. 'Why not at the local animal shelter?'

'Tommy!' Eva said, who had been silent the whole time, and Tommy turned to his wife.

'You agree to this?' he asked. 'Our daughter wants to go to Africa for a year! To volunteer!'

'You don't have to act like it's something horrible to do!' Norah replied angrily. 'It's not like I'm telling that I want a big and bright full body tattoo or run off to marry some guy I just met two days ago! I want to do something good!'

'But Africa?' Tommy repeated. 'For a whole year? Maybe you could do some volunteering in the Netherlands or New York?' Norah groaned and Tommy looked at her in confusion. Eva put her hand on his arm and Tommy glanced at her.

'I want to do something by myself!' Norah said. 'And not be constantly guarded by someone. I like uncle Sebastian, uncle Carl and aunt Arabela, but I don't want constant supervision...'

'So it's about not wanting to be under supervision?' Tommy asked angrily. 'So you can go have all the fun and do whatever you want? Is that it? We give you the freedom you can handle. You're seventeen, Norah! You need some supervision!'

'That is not what I meant!' Norah yelled and she threw her hands up in the air. 'You know what: forget I ever mentioned it! I don't want do anything anymore!' With those words Norah stormed out of the living room, leaving Tommy and Eva by themselves.

'Well that went wonderful,' Eva sighed.

'What?' Tommy replied harshly. 'You can't be thinking about letting her go volunteer in Africa, are you? She's seventeen! Besides, she should go to college.' Eva looked at him calmly, waiting for him to take a deep breath.

'We don't even know why she wants to take a gap year for volunteering instead of going to college,' Eva said. 'You already said 'no' before she could even give us an explanation. We do want her to make her own independent choices, right?'

'Not one that will move her thousands of kilometers away from us!' Tommy took a deep breath. 'She's just a girl...'

'You were fighting a war when you were seventeen,' Eva noted. 'Maybe even blew up a couple of cars...started fights...' Tommy shook his head.

'Don't use that,' he told her. 'That was a completely different time and it wasn't like I had much of a choice in joining the violence. My father and brothers were in it. And you know how it was when I left the Travelers. You either join or you leave the family. There was no choice. This is not the same!'

'It's not like you are giving her a choice either,' Eva said calmly and she gave him a kiss before leaving the room. Tommy took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face.

* * *

'Dinner is ready!' Eva yelled through the house and soon hurried footsteps were heard. Aiden and Bobby, who were both home for the weekend, came rushing towards the dinner table and sat down. Both were ready for a nice home-cooked meal from their mother. Eva put the pans on the table.

'Where is your sister?' Tommy asked the boys when he walked in and both the boys shrugged.

'Norah isn't coming for dinner,' Eva answered instead. 'I'm going to bring her a plate later.' Aiden and Bobby, who had began chatting with each other, fell silent and looked at their parents.

'What do you mean she isn't coming?' Tommy asked. 'Dinner is family time and we spend it together. No one is sitting in their room during it. ' Eva sighed.

'Can we talk about this later?' she asked and she hinted towards the boys. She didn't want to go right into it during dinner and with them listening in. Besides, Tommy seemed to have his mind set on the matter and the same went for Norah. They were very much alike like that.

'Fine,' Tommy replied curtly and he crossed his arms, waiting for dinner to start. Eva sat down and in silence they started their dinner. Aiden and Bobby shot each other glances.

'So...' Aiden then started and both Eva and Tommy looked up at him, 'if Norah isn't coming...I can have her dessert, right?'

'Not this time, Aiden,' Eva answered. Aiden nodded slowly and took another bite from his food.

* * *

Tommy took a deep breath before knocking on Norah's door, waiting patiently for a reply. When he got none, he put his ear against the door and heard soft sniffing. Norah was crying and Tommy knew that was his fault. And that definitely hadn't been his intention. Slowly he opened the door and by the light from the corridor, he could see Norah in bed with her back to the door. He walked inside and sat down on her bed. Gently he put his hand on her shoulder.

'Hey, Principessa,' he said softly, 'can we talk?' Norah turned to him and he felt bad when he saw her tearstained face. 'I promise I will listen to you this time around.' Norah wiped her tears away and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Then she gave him a nod that they could talk. Tommy took a deep breath. 'So you want to take a gap year? To go volunteering in Africa?' Norah nodded. 'Maybe you can explain why...' Norah pushed herself up so they could see eye to eye.

'We had a presentation about volunteering at school,' she started to explain. 'When they were talking about it...I realized I wanted to do that. I want to make a difference and help those children. Besides, I need to learn to stand on my own. You and mamma have prepared me to be myself. You told me to reach for the sky. To have big dreams...and this is what I want. To be there and help those kids do the same. Give them someone who believes in them and tells them it's okay to dream and reach for the sky. I think I could do some good there.' Tommy nodded slowly, going over what she just said.

'We do want you to become an independent woman,' he agreed, 'but can you understand I worry about you going there by yourself...'

'But I'm going there with Zosia and this organization that gave the presentation,' Norah replied. 'Zosia and I talked with them and safety is a big priority for them.' Norah fell silent for a moment and just looked at her father. 'I'm no longer your little girl, daidí.' Tommy started at her. She was wrong: she would always be his little girl. How was he going to protect her when she was so far away? But in a way she was right. He had to let her go at some point. It just seemed harder with her. His baby girl.

* * *

'Can you tell me that I'm not allowed to go?' Norah whispered in her father's ear while she gave him a hug. A tear dropped on his shoulder and he hugged her a little tighter. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to her yet. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and then let her go so Eva, Aiden and Bobby could hug her as well.

'Do you have everything?' Eva asked worriedly while she stroked Norah's cheek. 'Your passport? Your ticket? Your phone? Enough money?' Norah nodded while tears rolled over her face. 'I'm going to miss you, mia bella bambino.' Eva gave Norah a kiss on the cheek before making room for the brothers. Tommy put his arm around Eva and kissed the top of her head.

'Are you really okay with her going?' Eva asked him. 'Maybe we should just take her home.'

'No,' Tommy replied sadly, 'she's going to do great things over there.' Eva smiled and put her head against his chest.

'Are you ready, Norah?' Zosia asked, joining her friend. Zosia's parents and sisters joined them as well. It was time for the girls to get checked in. Just before they went out of view, Norah turned around and with a smile on her face she waved at her family. Tommy copied her smile and took a deep breath. His little girl was following her dreams and she was going to set the world on fire.

 **The End**

 **Inspired by the song Set the World on Fire by Britt Nicole  
**


	18. One-shot 18

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. If you have suggestions or prompts, send them in ^^**

 _~  
Meeting the girlfriend  
_

There was something different about her son. Eva noticed it when he called her about Sunday dinner. He wanted to bring a friend of his along. Nothing more was said about this friend. Never before had Aiden called about bringing a friend. All three of their children knew that their friends were welcome. On Sundays Eva always cooked enough food to feed an army anyway. So she was surprised when she heard her son mention a friend. This friend had to be a special one for him and she couldn't help but wonder who it was going to be.

'Of course you can bring a friend. You know that. Anyone I know?'

' _Umm…I don't think so…_ ' Eva could barely contain her smile at his hesitant answer. In his twenty-two years Aiden had had a hard time lying when it came to girls. Trips to London were a whole other story, but when it came to girls, Aiden would become a boy of few words.

'What's her name?'

' _It's just a friend, mamma. Please don't make a big deal out of it_.'

'I promise I won't.' Eva knew that both would realize it wasn't a promise she would be able to keep for a long time. After saying their goodbyes, Eva walked over to Tommy. Maybe he knew more about this friend of Aiden's. They both had noticed something was going on with Aiden. He had skipped Sunday dinner a couple of times in the last couple of months. He had said that it was so he could finish some last things for his study, but they hadn't been so sure about it. He never really talked about what he had been doing exactly, while he normally liked talking about his study activities.

* * *

'You should calm down a bit,' Tommy noted as he wrapped an arm around Eva's waist. 'You are going to cut your own fingers instead of the carrots…and what kind of impression would that make on Aiden's friend?' Eva gave him a glare. She knew how to cook and worry at the same time. Tommy gave her a smile and he kissed her cheek. 'It's almost like you're meeting your future in-laws instead of Aiden's friend.'

'I never actually met my future in-laws,' Eva noted and as soon as the words had left her mouth, she felt guilty. She looked at her husband's face and right away missed his smile. 'I'm sorry…I didn't mean…I just tried to…' She wasn't sure how to go on from here. But Tommy gave her a little nod, telling her it was okay. Eva sighed and continued cutting the carrots. 'Aiden never calls about bringing a friend. None of the kids do, you know this. So she must be special to him. He didn't even give me her name and I'm not supposed to make a big deal about it…'

'You? Making a big deal about meeting a possible girlfriend? You would never!' Tommy joked.

'Hey you, watch it!' Eva said and she held up the knife she was holding. 'I know how to use this!' Tommy leaned in a little bit.

'I know you do,' he whispered in her ear. 'I have seen you using knives; very hot.' Eva chuckled and gave him a kiss.

'It's good that you're cute,' she joked. 'How are you so calm about this?

Tommy shrugged. 'It's not like Aiden never brought home a girl before, girlfriends and girls who are just friends.' Eve sighed and continued cutting the carrots. Tommy was right about that…but still she wasn't sure.

'Go make yourself useful and set the table,' Eva told him and she gave him a little push towards the table.

'Should I bring out the china for special occasions?' Tommy asked with a grin on his face.

'No, because it's just a friend,' Eva laughed, and she threw a piece of carrot at him.

* * *

Now Aiden was even sending a text that they were almost there, Eva thought, slightly frustrated as she put down her phone. Still no names or more details about the friend. Eva knew better than to pry for more. She would see when Aiden arrived with this friend. But that knowledge didn't mean Eva wasn't getting more and more curious.

'Mamma, when are we eating dinner?' Norah asked as she took her eyes away from her phone for a short moment. 'Paolo is picking me up in a couple of hours for Zosia's party. We can't be late!'

'We are still waiting for Aiden and his friend to arrive,' Eva told her as she added some herbs to the dish.

'Friend?' Norah asked curiously. 'Male or female?'

'We're not sure,' Tommy answered, as he walked into the kitchen as well.

'What are we not sure about?' Bobby asked, as he followed behind Tommy. He glanced into the pan to see what they were eating. Eva gave him a little tap on his hand. She also had to push Marly away from the corner. The dog may be getting old, but she was always trying to get some more food.

'Aiden is bringing a "friend" to dinner,' Norah said, making quotations in the air, and she turned to Bobby with a big smile on her face. 'Can you tell us more about this friend, fratello?' Bobby shook his head.

'Aiden has lots of friends…I don't know many of them.' All four looked up when they heard the front door opening. Norah let out a little squeal and tried to run out of the kitchen, but Tommy grabbed her. He gestured her to calm down.

'Give them a moment to enter,' Tommy said. 'Maybe he wants to give her another warning about…'

'Aiden!' Norah called out and she wiggled herself loose from her father's arms. She headed out of the kitchen.

'She is worse than you,' Tommy whispered to Eva, who hit him on the arm. They all followed Norah into the living room, where she was standing with Aiden and a girl.

'Guys, this is Natalia,' Aiden introduced the girl, 'a friend from university. Natalia, this is my family.' Natalia took a step forward and shook everyone's hand.

'Very nice to meet you, Natalia,' Eva smiled. 'We're ready for dinner, so I hope you're hungry.'

'Oh yes,' Natalia answered with a big smile. 'I heard wonderful stories about your cooking from Aiden. Whenever he talks about home, it's usually about food.

'Then what are we waiting for,' Tommy said and he gestured at the table. 'Can I get you anything to drink?'

* * *

During dinner Eva was watching her oldest son closely and he was well aware of it. He was trying too hard to make everything look like a normal Sunday dinner. It made him somewhat quieter and even a little nervous in his behavior. A little clumsier than normally. But there was always a little smile on his face when Natalia spoke to him or when he was shooting a glance at her.

'We met through Thomas,' Natalia said, answering Norah's question. 'Thomas was dating a friend of mine and they threw a party. Aiden and I just happened to end up at the snack table at the same time and we started talking…' She looked over at Aiden. '…about the peanuts snacks they were serving, I believe.'

'Yeah, Aiden and his peanut snacks,' Norah said jokingly. There appeared a little blush on Aiden's cheeks. Norah gasped while jumping a little in her seat, telling Eva that something had happened underneath the table. It probably involved Aiden's foot hitting Norah's leg somewhere.

'Well, it was the start of a great conversation,' Natalia said. 'We ended up talking most of the night. And after the party he walked me back to my dorm.'

'Well-raised boy,' Tommy said and he patted Aiden on the shoulder. 'At least it's a better start than ours.' He smiled at Eva. 'Murder was probably our conversation starter.'

'Yeah, Aiden told me that you worked for the International Criminal Court in The Hague,' Natalia said, not taken aback by the murder as a conversation starter. 'What made you decide to go to Firenze?'

'Well, we decided to leave the ICC when I was pregnant with Aiden,' Eva explained, 'and without the job, there wasn't much keeping us in the Netherlands, except the friends we met through work. But I liked the idea of our child, and thankfully more children, in Italy. Tommy was okay with it.' The conversation continued with ease and Eva continued to watch Aiden. She started to notice that Natalia was glancing over at Aiden from time to time. Each time with a little smile on her face as well. Like they had this little secret between them.

* * *

'Thank you so much for having me,' Natalia said as she stood up. Time had flown by this evening and Natalia still had to get back to the dorms. 'The food was delicious, Mrs. McConnell.' Eva smiled.

'Again, call me Eva.' Aiden got up as well and walked with Natalia towards the door.

'I'm sorry about all of that during dinner,' Aiden apologized to Natalia as soon as they were outside. 'About all the questions and such. They just wanted to know more about you. I assure you, normally it's not like twenty questions in there.' Natalia laughed and she stopped.

'It's fine, Aiden,' she told him. 'I had a great time. You have a great family.' Aiden nodded. That was indeed something he had. Natalia took his hand and squeezed it gently. 'Thank you for inviting me for Sunday dinner with them. It was nice getting to know them and see where you got your cooking skills from.'

'Yeah…my mom always wanted all of us to know how to cook,' Aiden said. 'Never really stuck, until she told me it could impress the girls.'

'So you have tried impressing more girls with your cooking skills?' Natalia asked him, smiling. Aiden chuckled and shrugged.

'I have tried,' he told her and she took a step closer.

'I should tell your mom that she was certainly right.'

'She will like to hear that.' Aiden closed the final distance between them and placed a soft kiss on her lips. He had wanted to do that all evening.

* * *

Eva and Tommy were standing at the window, peeking through the curtains as they were unable to contain their curiosity. From their hiding spot they could only see Aiden and Natalia talking to each other. Then Eva hit Tommy against Tommy's chest as soon as she saw them kiss. She had been right! Natalia was more than just a friend and that was definitely not their first kiss either.

'Ouch,' Tommy said and he rubbed the spot Eva hit. 'There was no need to hit me. I was standing next to you: I saw it perfectly fine.'

'I'm sorry,' Eva apologized, 'but look at those two!' Tommy nodded and then took her hand. He slowly pulled her away from the window.

'Let's give them a little bit of privacy,' he told her and he sat her down on the couch. Eva leaned against him and he put his arm around her shoulder.

'He seems happy with her, right?' she asked him and Tommy nodded. Those looks at the dinner table had told them both plenty.

'She seems like a great girl. I think they fit nicely together.' He placed a kiss on top of her head. They sat together for a while until Aiden walked back into the living room. He was unable to hide the big grin on his face from his parents.

'So, Natalia, huh?' Tommy asked and Aiden nodded, the grin still plastered on his face. He sat down on the chair next the couch.

'What did you think of her?' he asked carefully.

'She seems like a really nice girl,' Eva answered. 'I hope we get to see more of her soon.'

'So do I,' Aiden smiled.

 **The End.**


End file.
